Blood Ties
by LadySilverWolf03
Summary: What happens when Koenma gives the gang a mission they can't complete on their own? After a pretty solid defeat, Kurama suggests an old friend to help, but will the princess of the secluded wolf-demon kingdom even agree to help them? And what happens when she finds herself falling for a certain hybrid? HieixOC. Rated M for language and violence. There, I wrote one :P happy?
1. Chapter 1

Koenma sighed as he stared blankly after his team. The meeting had gone- well, terribly. Even Kurama, the level-headed and rational one, had been uncharacteristically irrate, though mild compared to the standards of most.

Koenma was used to Kuwabara and Yusuke yelling and objecting to what he told them to do; But Kurama? To see him even slightly perturbed sent a shiver through him. Don't get him started about Hiei's reaction. The usually silent, rebellious fire demon's burst of anger and threats shot fear straight through him, despite being an age-old power himself. Reluctantly though, they had finally agreed.

Between Yusuke and Kurama's protective nature over the human race, Kuwabara's inherent need to do the right thing, and Hiei's mere distaste for the soul-eating race, the gang accepted the mission to fight back the Delphyrs, a race that preys on human souls in order to survive, who were breeching the border between the Makai and the human world. Koenma had a suspision they were getting through from Mukuro's border, who ruled over the territory the Delphyrs resided in.

Though he did not speak of his suspision of the demon lord, he assumed that was a big reason why Hiei had reacted so harshly. Koenma was essentially asking him to break an oath he made to Mukuro and allow an attack on her territory.

Koenma shook his thoughts from his head and focused on the task at hand. The race of Delphyrs was vast. He wasn't sure just how his team was going to pull this one off. All Koenma knew was that they had to. For the sake of the human race, there was no other option.

* * *

Hiei's hair bristled in the wind as he walked, trailing behind the other three. He had no idea why he had agreed to help. To be honest, he had no idea why he did half the things he did anymore. He justified most of it as boredom, just as he did in this particular instance. Peace had fallen across the lands for sometime, and he was growing anxious for more than punching and swinging his sword at air and the rare low-level demon who tried to cross the border to the human realm. _A battle would be welcome at this point, _he thought to himself.

His mind wondered idly to Yukina, who, against his wishes, had instisted she go with them, along with Genkai. They were set up in the Makai in a small secret camp that Genkai had surrounded with protection and cloaking stones, ready to tend to the wounded if necessary.

As they neared the tear in the border, Hiei stiffened. Countless energy signatures of Delphyrs swarmed ahead of them. Were they really about to walk head-long into a massive on-slaught of demons? _Wouldn't be the first time. Certainly not the worst situation I have been in._

Hiei drew his sword as the tear came into sight, and the rest of the group readied themselves for battle as well. Hiei dashed forward and to the far left, slashing through the first Delphyr who crossed his blade. He continued to cut through most of them with relative ease as the amount of Delphyrs he came in contact with at once began to increase drastically.

Now in the heart of the swarm and being attacked from every angle, Hiei fought to keep from being overwhelmed by the mass amount of Delphyrs that fought against him. Somewhere in his mind, he noted that the rest of the group was quickly being overrun. Growling in frustration that his hands were to some degree tied, as he couldn't use his most powerful attack for risk of tearing open the barrier further, he forced some of his energy into his blade, making it more effective in cutting through the swarm.

They continued for what seemed like hours, and with the Delphyrs swarm attack unrelenting, it had become clear what they needed to do. Reaching out to Yusuke telepathically, Hiei growled out words he loathed. _We need to pull back. _

A little put off by the contact, Yusuke seemed to nod slightly before shouting out the order to retreat. Indecision danced in the detective's eyes as he glanced at the human realm and then to the tear that led to the Makai. "It is too dangerous to fall back to the human realm. The Delphyrs will pursue us. We need to retreat into the Makai and meet at Genkai's camp," he shouted to the group before making a B-line for the tear.

Focused only on defense, each fighter made their way through the barrier and ran East where their camp was set up. They scattered as they hit the forest, the Delphyrs that followed becoming easy targets as they split up. Only after he was sure no more Delphyrs were following him, Hiei made his way to the camp, just as the rest of the team was doing.

As he neared the camp, his vision blurred slightly, no doubt from the injuries he had gained from the battle. He shook it off quickly, forcing himself to ignore the pain that tore through nearly every part of his body. From the looks of it, the rest of the team was in the same shape.

Yukina and Genkai wasted no time in tending to their wounds, Hiei only submitting in a silent glare after Yukina had insisted. There was no use trying to tell her no. She had the same stubbornness as he, but between her gentle nature and the soft spot he refused to admit he had for her, his resolve always weakened under her pleading.

He idly heard Genkai, Yusuke and Kurama talking. Not paying much attention to their conversation, Hiei only caught something about a possible ally that resided in the South. Kurama had known someone from his life in the Makai who could give aid and possibly the numbers they needed to fight back.

They would leave at once. Genkai and Yukina would travel with them, since staying in one place in the Makai was not wise. Yukina had made a comment about always wanting to see Aerisia and Hiei frowned. What could the anti-social race of Wolf-demons possibly do to aid them? They weren't the type to fight the battles of others, and unless it affected something within the walls of their kingdom, they rarely cared. Apparently the fox knew something he didn't and Hiei passively wondered if he would be mistaken for once.

_Doubt it, _he thought to himself. _That would be entirely too satisfying._

* * *

_A/N~ So this would be the start of my new project. :D You will get to meet the other main characters soon, don't worry! I am working on the second chapter right now, and I am excited for the meeting. I can't wait to see how it turns out. This chapter was mostly a setting so everyone would be up to speed on what's happening. Hopefully I will have the second chapter up in a few hours. Aerisia and the Wolf-demons are of my creation. Please don't slice and dice me too terribly for making up a new place._

_Much love ~Jessa_


	2. Chapter 2

Jen tapped on the table with a rather irritated glare in place on her face. A headache was beginning to creep its way up her neck as she stared at the source of her glare and headache. The ancestral council was comprised of the pack leaders of the past, each becoming part of the council as they passed from the living to the dead. In the room with her and the council was her mother, Carlotta, and her father, Kravyn.

Her mother's black hair was pulled into a tight, formal bun that pulled the already sharp features of her face even sharper and pinched. Her golden eyes seemed set in a perpetual glare that always fell on her. The second oldest of her siblings, Jenista had yet to accept a mate, even though she was expected to take one over five years ago.

Her father was a stark contrast to Carlotta. His brown hair, that resembled wolf fur more than anything, was kept in controlled chaos. Though tamed, his thick hair still spiked up slightly. His golden eyes were warm, showing the wisdom of the years he held as the pack leader.

Jen plainly preferred her father over her mother. Her father was more patient and kind. He once told her that he saw the fire of a true leader in her, ever since she was a pup. Her training had come from him, even though her mother had openly disapproved.

Far more concerned about appearances and tradition, Jen's mother wanted her to be more princess-like. It was the appropriate thing as a royal family. Though she couldn't blame her mother for her concerns, something about her disapproval rubbed Jen the wrong way. Jen often found herself going out of her way to anger the wolf queen. Her current state of unmated bliss was the focal point of that anger.

Part of her wanted a mate to rely on and fall in love, but a darker, more selfish side wanted a legacy. Despite the damage it would do to the reputation of the royal family, Jen wanted to be the only female in the history to lead a pack of Wolf-demons while remaining unmated. Her older brother, Salvatore had reliquished his claim to the throne to mate with a she-wolf named Jettalynn. Though Jet was a pure blood and a wonderful person, the leader was required to mate to one of the royal families.

Being second in line, the throne fell to Jen. As each suitor presented themselves to her, she quickly banished them, blaming her instincts would not allow her to mate with a weaker wolf. Although true, Jen's reasons and motives were entirely different.

In such times of peace, most of the princes were incredibly weak, and it was easy to cast them out. The more stubborn ones quickly earned a ticket to the afterlife from Jen if they pushed her too far.

The ancestors continued to mutter about themselves, which Jen felt was more for show, as they were linked in thoughts and the foresight anyway. Her nail kept a steady beat as she arched a brow when one of the ancestors finally turned to her and her parents.

"The child that is to inherit the throne must be mated within a week, or the kingdom will fall." The words of the ancestor rang through the etheral hall and Jen's brow arched further.

"You are actually going to try to tell me that the fate of the wolf-demons hinges on whether or not I mate?"

The silence that answered her caused her to growl. "You are fools to think that such a powerful race would fall solely because I refuse to go against my instincts and mate to a lesser male wolf."

"Jenista!" Jen's mother jumped to her feet to chastise her. "You are in no place to be calling-"

"Enough," the head of the council barked. "Our wisdom has been spoken. We have nothing else to say."

The ancestral council faded from the room, their etheral blue glow slowly fading as the room returned to normal and Jen awaited the tongue-lashing she was about to recieve from her mother.

"You have some nerve, child," her mother chastised.

Had Jen not been so used to being able to restrain her anger with her mother, she would have snapped at her mother's flippant tone. "You must mate," she continued. "You are well passed the age for a mate and it is a disgrace that you haven't found one. You will choose a mate today, and so help me if you kill another suitor-"

Jen cut off her mother's tirade with an irritated tone. "Maybe you shouldn't send suitors I can kill. Find me a male that is stronger and it will be considered."

Yeah, fat chance it would actually be considered. At this rate, it was impossible they would find a royal male more powerful. Teach them to beat her to the brink of death so many times. Which brought her to another point. "Which by the way, you can thank yourself for not being able to find a stronger wolf. Maybe you should have thought through trying to break me better."

"You deserved every single-" her father cut her off.

"Carlotta. Enough," he commanded and Jen smirked triumphantly. _Dad to the rescue_.

"And You," he said turning to her. _Damn_. "You know better than to instigate. I raised you better than that."

Jen's triumphant smirk fell and nodded slightly. Her dad sighed, irritation starting to build. "Leave us for a moment, Carlotta."

Reluctantly, she obliged and left the hall. The silence seemed to draw out as she awaited her father's words. Something about the whole situation made her feel like a little kid again.

"I knew from the minute you were born that you would be a force to be reckoned with. Even as an infant, you fought with everything you had to do things your own way," he said, his eyes clouding over with pride and memories. _Double damn. Effective guilt trip here we come._

He looked back to her "Now I don't believe our kingdom will fall because you haven't found a mate, but it is important for the future leader to be mated. So could you do me a big favor and consider it? The least it would do is get Carlotta off my case about you. The things she suggests is best for you just seem out right ridiculous."

Her father's eyes darkened a degree, haunted by a time when he thought her mother knew best and allowed Jen to be beaten to the brink of death repeatedly over nearly a year to try to get her to submit. In the end the young care-free girl had become the woman who delivered the guards ordered to beat her to his bedroom door, thuroughly beaten and dead. Some part of her wondered if it had made her better or worse.

In the end, it didn't matter what it made her. It had failed to do what Carlotta intended for it to do. With a long sigh she looked up at her father. "I will consider it," she said grudgingly.

Before her father could say anything, a group of foreign energies caught her attention and Jen left the hall to investigate. The sight she came upon caused anger to boil through her as she launched herself towards the group.

* * *

_A/N~ Okay so I lied. The meeting is the next chapter but don't worry~ I already have it typed up :) It was just too long as one chapter and seemed be break into two fairly seamlessly._

_On a side note, you know how they say crackers are terrible to eat in bed? Like how someone who is extremely attractive would be someone you would let eat crackers in your bed? Well I have found fried chicken is worse. Last time I eat lunch in bed with my laptop typing up a chapter. My sheets are in the wash now but crumbs were effectively Everywhere. So future reference, if you are contemplating whether or not you find someone attractive, instead of crackers, think "Gee, would I let him eat Fried Chicken in my bed?" _

_Anyway, I'll be posting the third chapter here shortly. In fact it will probably already be up by the time you read this note._

_Much love ~Jessa_


	3. Chapter 3

Yusuke had been in a lot of situations. Being restrained while his best friend's girl was being advanced on by a pack of what looked like people, but acted like feral animals was definitely a first.

Their energy was neutralized by the atmosphere around them, from what Kurama said, so they were all but helpless. He glanced at his comrades. Hiei was glaring at Kurama with a promise of death, should they ever be released.

Yusuke didn't blame him. Had it been his twin sister about to be gnawed on like a chew toy by this group that Kurama had openly led them into, he would want to maim the fox demon too.

Before he could elaborate on his friends' actions further, a blur shot through the room and came to rest in front of Yukina. The new comer looked female, though with her face contorted as she snapped and growled at the group that had been advancing on Yukina, it was hard to tell just what she was. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl as her jaws snapped much like an animal's. Her animalistic and gutteral growls tore through the air as the males backed up.

"Release them and get out of my sight," the animalistic growl tinting her words as she barked out the order. The males did as they were told and all but one left with a growl. The new comer stood up from her offensive position and crossed the room to the remaining male.

Her voice was by far more civil than before. "The lady does not wish to see violence, Ara. It would be wise if you left." With a growl, the final male reluctantly left.

* * *

Jen eyed the group curiously before her gaze fell onto the young woman. "I apologize for our behavior. I know it can be rather off-setting. Wolf males tend to be," she paused to select the right word, "Dense. It is necessary to get a little rough when dealing with them."

Jen regretted the dis-ease of the young woman. Her eyes were kind, but full of fright when she had come across the group. The ice maiden seemed a little less afraid, but still scared as a large human man rushed forward to inspect her carefully before wrapping a protective arm around her.

She regarded the group, carefully moving through each. An older woman with short stature and faded pink hair seemed to be unphased from the animalistic show. She was purely human, but she could feel the energy beneath the woman's skin hum. It would not be long before she would need to leave the kingdom and its energy repressive qualities.

As a precaution within the kingdom, energy was restricted to the owner's body. While most living creatures put off energy and allow it to flow freely, when repressed for too long, the energy builds up within the body and eventually will kill them painfully, the amount of time dependent on how much energy the body could retain.

Those in the kingdom had grown accustomed to the restraint. There were small pockets within the atmosphere that permitted them to release the energy that built up inside them. It was a hassle, but safer nonetheless.

Jen turned her gaze to the next in the group of foreigners. He seemed, different. His slicked back black hair and raven-colored eyes showed concern for his friends as he eyed her with open suspision. More powerful than the woman, Jen could feel his energy already pushing against the restraints and most likely causing some amount of pain for the young man. He seemed to be part demon, but she was unsure, considering the signature of demon energy was so slight.

Her gaze then turned to one who was off to the side, glaring at her openly. His black hair was spiked up and his crimson glare felt like it was burning her own eyes out. Purely demon, his hand remained on the hilt of his sheathed sword threateningly, promising a deadly battle should anyone do anything that he did not approve of. He seemed to be mostly fire demon, though something was certainly different about him.

Jen tilted her head slightly as she moved her gaze back to the young ice maiden. The similarities between the two were unmistakable. Their eyes were the same shade of crimson red and their facial structure was remarkably identitcal. She turned her gaze back to the demon hybrid and arched an inquisitive eyebrow. He seemed to visibly tense to the slightest degree, but gave no other hint towards his reaction. "Interesting," she said quietly.

"What?" the orange haired human who had rushed to the ice maiden's side prior.

"The ice maiden's choice of mate is interesting," she said, noting the male demon had tensed a degree more when the human spoke. It seemed like he wanted to hide his relation to the ice maiden so she hid her conclusion. "It is rare to see a female demon with a male human and see her actually care for the human. It is interesting to me to see such a pairing, though from what I understand, such emotions are hardly logical."

The male demon seemed to relax to the slightest degree as she moved on to the final member of this group. Appearing human, the man had red hair and bright green eyes. His energy signature was starkly different to his appearance and strangely familiar. Jen's brow arched again when she finally placed just who he was.

"This is by far the strangest form you have come to me in, Kurama. Tell me, did you get into the dyes again?" Her tone was light and joking, her mind floating to the trouble the two of them got into as young children. The fox demon had been a companion until her parents cast him out.

"It was necessary in order to survive an attack," he replied, his eyes lightened slightly.

The "human" with black hair turned to Kurama. "How do you know this woman?" Jen responded for him.

"Kurama and I were childhood friends. The kingdom had taken him in as a pup but as we grew up, my parents were afraid certain interests would develop between us and banished him. Such things would be frowned upon. But I digress. What brings you here, fox-brother?"

Kurama's eyes turned serious. "Delphyrs are encroaching on the human world and the group before you has been entrusted with fighting them back and resealing the border."

"The border is Mukuro's responsibility. Why not go to her about sealing it?"

"She has been unresponsive. We believe she may even be commanding the Delphyrs in their attack on the humans."

Jen nodded slightly. "That proves to be quite a threat on the human world. Though I'm still not sure I understand why you came to me."

The black-haired human stepped forward and addressed her. "There are too many Delphyrs for us to handle. This is my home at risk. Wouldn't you reach out to anyone you could if Aerisia was threatened to be destroyed?"

Jen's eyes softened slightly. The man had heart, she had to give him that. Kurama had the same determination. She owed her old friend quite a bit, and for that she would help.

That, and it would seriously piss off her mother.

"A valid point. Though I am afraid the majority of our soldiers are weak and spoiled with peace, and wolf demons tend to shy away from the affairs and wars of others. They wouldn't agree to fight even if they were strong enough to be beneficial. There is only a handful of wolves that would be able to aid you and would be willing. We are at your side as an ally if you wish."

A screech sounded from behind Jen. She looked back to see her mother in a careful mask of barely civil anger. "You have no right to make such decisions."

"It is my pack and I, I have every right," she snapped, her eyes glaring in defiance.

Her mother huffed. "I forbid it."

"Try to stop me," Jen growled.

* * *

Hiei watched the bickering women with disinterest. This was a waste of time. The sooner they got this mission done and over with, the better. With an arched brow, he took in the appearance of the princess. Her hair was strange. The texture and coloring reminded him of a wolf despite the length being longer than any wolf's fur, falling somewhere between her shoulders and her mid-back in length. The roots started black but turned into an erray of white, grey and brown as it reached the end of her hair.

Her golden eyes were sharp and observant. Her black brows were arched over her eyes and had been the only marker of any kind of emotion since she had recovered from her animalistic show. Her facial structure was refined, her cheekbones high, her jaw tight.

A light scar along her left cheek bone barely two inches long and razor thin was the only mark on her face. The scar was slightly interesting, considering most demons healed without scars. Slightly interesting. Not enough for more than a passing thought though. He could still care less.

Her clothes were similar to the older woman's who beared a close resmblence to the princess. Their robes were long and consisted of many folds of cloth, the only real difference being color. While the older woman had a vibrant purple, gold and white robe, the princess' robe was mostly black with only small traces of purple and gold.

Bored with assessing the woman, though she was admittedly attractive, he turned his gaze to a wall. He didn't care that she was attractive, but it was an observation he had made about her. The older woman stormed off, muttering about the demise of the wolf demons. The princess, which through listening to her talking to Kurama he learned was named Jenista, turned to speak to Kurama about tactics when Mukuro flashed into the room.

With a snarl, Jen turned to Mukuro. "You know you are not permitted to enter Aerisia, Mukuro. What are you doing here?"

"One of my men is here and I was curious," Mukuro said with a calm drawl.

"Someone you know being here doesn't give you permission to break treaty," Jen said, seeming to carefully hold her anger in check.

Mukuro shugged. "I just wanted to remind him that he has an oath to uphold to protect my borders. That is all."

With a pointed look at Hiei, Mukuro flashed back out. Jen sighed slightly, with her eyes closed before seeming to reign in her control and look at Hiei. "We will refrain from attacking Mukuro's borders so your allegiance isn't torn."

"Hn."

Hiei was unsure why she cared about his honor, but a small part of him was grateful he wouldn't have to go back on one oath or another. And by small, he meant nearly nonexistant. He could honestly care less about Koenma and the rest of them. At least that is what he told himself.

Jen speaking broke him out of his thoughts. "We will depart as soon as possible. I will show you to a pocket in the atmosphere so you can flex your powers as the restriction is probably taking its toll."

Now that she mentioned it, his body was aching slightly from the energy that wasn't allowed to escape. Yusuke looked strained, as did Kurama. Genkai had a tick working in her jaw but seemed the best off out of all of them, save for the-

"I don't feel anything. Kind of tingly all over, but that is it." Kuwabara said, confused.

Save for the idiot. Completely unphased by the energy repression. Jen arched a brow. "I can imagine why."

Her tone was flippant and almost succeeded in amusing Hiei. Almost. Jen turned and led them to a "pocket" as she called it, before leaving them there to prepare herself and her pack for the war to come.

* * *

_A/N ~ Okay so it is still kinda long but I'm pretty content with it. Review~ I am going to take a break before working on Chapter four. Hoping for a very epic battle scene. Queue up badass music and go~_

_Much love ~Jessa_

_Update- So next chapter ended up not being the battle scene, but anyway...sorry it took a little while t o continue editing. I got a little bit busy.  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Kuwabara was decidedly the worst idiot ever. Hiei glared out the near-by window as the idiot told Kurama that Jen reminded him of Hiei. Kurama took the foolish comment in stride as he replied. "Jen is held to a certain standard with many restrictions. The way she acts within the kingdom is rehersed and watched closely. She is actually quite amusing once she warms up and relaxes."

Hiei stopped paying attention after that. Instead, he was thinking of what he saw in Jenista's mind when he peaked in with his abilities. He saw her ambitions, her memories of a chiding mother and a father unsure of what to do with her. Some parts were blacked out to him, but he assumed it was because she blocked them out of her own mind.

Hiei pulled out of his thoughts as Jenista walked through the door with a group falling behind her in a tight formation. Her clothes had changed to simple battle attire; A black tank top and black pants. Her hair was tied back tightly, though instead of the traditional bun that her mother wore, her hair fell loosely from the tie. Her subtle defiances were both intruiging and utterly silly; Pointless.

He studied the six wolf-demons who fanned out infront of the group. There was a tense silence as the groups assessed each other. Aside from Jenista, there was one other female. Her hair held the same wolf-like qualities as Jen's, but colored in tones of light brown and honey. The largest male was closest to this female and held a striking resemblence to Jenista, his hair the same erray of colors and sharp golden eyes. This was the first person to speak as he walked forward to Yusuke and held his hand out, an odd look on his face. Yusuke shook his hand carefully. "My name is Salvatore. I apologize, I am not entirely well-versed with human customs, but I believe this is the way humans greet each other."

Yusuke nodded. "My name is Yusuke. The big guy over there is Kuwabara," he paused a moment for Salvatore to nod slightly to Kuwabara, before continuing. "The short guy over there is Hiei," another pause and slight growl from Hiei.

"The girl with Kuwabara is Yukina," pause. "The red-head is Kurama in disguise, though you probably knew that," pause. "And the old hag behind me is Genkai."

Genkai reached out and struck Yusuke just above the knee, causing him to yelp in pain before nodding her head slightly to Salvatore. Salvatore then motioned to each of the wolves, starting with the one furthest from him. All of the males, except for one had black hair and golden eyes, the exception having a reddish brown hue to his hair. "This is Avidan, the jokester and youngest," he said, regarding the one with the different hair and then listed off each name of the wolves.

"Terrance, Makya, Vaislen, the moody one, and my mate, Jettalynn," he finished, motioning lastly to the blonde female.

Each member nodded silently in acknowledgement before Jenista spoke up. "Alright, it is time to head out. We have a long trip to the tear Kurama has informed us of, but if we leave now, we can make it there with only making camp once."

Yusuke clapped his hands together. "Alright then, let's get this show on the road."

They were greeted at the kingdom walls by what Hiei recognized to be Jenista's father and two of her younger siblings. The youngest, a female, barely over the age of six stared up at them in wonder. Her golden eyes were large and round, her mouth formed a small "o" shape and her hair looked like Jenista's, but tied back in a braid. The little girl squeeled as Jen picked her up to hug her tightly. "Be careful, Jen-Jen," she said quietly as she wrapped her tiny arms around Jen's neck.

Jen patted her on the back lightly before whispering, "I will, Leta. We will build your kingdom when I return, okay?"

The little girl squeeled in excitement as Jen set her down and moved to hug her younger brother, who was in his mid-teens. His hair was closer to their father's, a dark shade of brown. "You are going to miss my mate-celebration, big sister," he said with a disappointed frown.

Jen smiled warmly before placing both hands on her brother's shoulders. "I will be with you in spirit, Asher. It is rare to find love in an arranged marriage. Cherish her, little brother."

Asher seemed to accept that and he turned to say goodbye to Salvatore. Leta had wondered over to Hiei and jumped up as high as she could to wrap her arms around him, which was only about half-way up his chest. Completely stunned and wide-eyed Hiei remained frozen before awkwardly patting the little girl on the back. "You be careful too," she mumbled into his chest before letting go and skipping off to say goodbye to Salvatore.

Still stunned into silence, Hiei dropped his arm back to his side. He assumed his shock was still on his face as Kravyn, the king and Jen's father laughed quietly, staring off after Leta. "She knows no strangers, that little one," he said warmly as his gaze turned to Hiei. "You and your pack have a great deal of courage to face the Delphyr. I have heard their numbers range well into the thousands. I wish you all the best of luck. Take care of my daughter, will you? She tends to let her ambition blind her."

Hiei wasn't entirely sure why the wolf king was speaking to him, much less telling him to watch over his daughter but he chose not to elaborate on it, avoiding further conversation. "Hn," he said slightly.

Kravyn seemed to take that as answer, since he turned to Jen to wrap his arms around her. "I'm sorry your mother could not be present. She is ill in bed at the moment."

Jen looked less than convinced but she said nothing on the subject as she blew out a long sigh. "Come home in one piece," he said lastly and she nodded.

The king turned and gave his final blessing to the entire group as one last male came in. Hiei watched with mild curiousity as the male approached Jen, who didn't even look in his direction as he stood by her. The second he placed his hand on Jen's shoulder, a snarl came from Jen as she cut a glare to him. Hiei swore he heard the male whimper as he jumped back, removing his hand from her shoulder. Appeased by the reaction, Jen turned away and walked toward the exit, everyone save for Leta, Asher, Kravyn and the male following suit.

* * *

Jen was walking beside her brother, Salvatore, through the forest. The trip had been mostly silent. A few questions and answers here and there, but not much else. Kuwabara, who most of the questions had come from, piped up again. "So what exactly do you guys do to greet each other if you don't shake hands?"

Avidan snorted. "We sniff each others' asses, man. Careful with V though. He is one smelly bastard."

Jen laughed quietly, noting the glare from V as he smacked Avidan on the back of the head. "Don't play coy, Avi. We all know you like the smelly ones the best," Salvatore said, causing Jen and the rest of the group to laugh a little more as Avidan gave no other response besides a wide grin.

Kuwabara laughed too, though he seemed a little off-set, like he was unsure if Avidan was serious or not. Jen decided to clarify for him. "We typically greet each other by grasping one another on our upper arms, similar to a hand shake. Closer friends or family will touch their foreheads together as well."

He seemed to accept that explanation and went back to talking with Yukina. Jen slowed her pace to fall back and walk beside Kurama. "So what have you been up to, fox-brother? Last I saw of you, you were in quite some trouble," she said, smirking slightly.

Kurama was almost always in trouble when he came to her. Aerisia was the safest place since no one in the Makai would even contemplate her closed society to harbor a demon bandit. In truth, her society never knew. Only her and Salvatore. "More trouble, as you probably can guess. I was wounded and had to flee to the human world, sharing the body of an unborn child to survive. You should come meet my human mother some time. She is a lovely woman."

Jen smiled and nodded. "After all of this is settled, that shall be arranged."

Jen glanced up at the quickly darkening sky. "We should make camp," she said and the others nodded.

Turning to her pack she addressed each one. "Makya, V and Terrance, give me a scan of a two-mile parameter of the area, to ensure there are no threats near by. Salvatore and Avidan, assist the rest of the group with building the camp. Jettalynn and I will start to prepare the food."

Avidan huffed, "Aww, man! Not Jen's cooking again. You nearly killed us all last time you cooked for us!"

"My cooking is fine," she said shortly, Salvatore snorting behind her.

She glared back at her older brother. "You can starve for all I care, big brother."

This earned a grin from Salvatore, "If you are cooking, that would probably be best."

Jen opened her mouth to speak, but closed it and tilted her head. "Is it really that bad?"

"Yes!" At least three of the wolves exclaimed, including Avidan and Salvatore.

Jen huffed but turned to Kurama. "You cooked, last time I checked, didn't you?"

Kurama nodded with a kind smile, his eyes apologizing, which told her quite a bit. "You think my cooking is terrible too, don't you?"

Kurama bit back a smile and held his hands up. "Well, not terrible, persay. I can say I've eaten worse, if that is any consolation."

The indignant sound Jen gave in response said it wasn't much consolation at all. Sighing, Jen shrugged and turned to Jettalynn. "Give Kurama any assistance he needs with cooking. I'm going to go gather some wood," she said, mumbling towards the end. _Who knew a trained cook would be so terrible at it? I suppose it's one more thing to piss my mother off with though._ She smirked slightly to herself as she made her way through the forest to gather wood.

* * *

Some hours later, everyone sat at around the camp fire as Hiei watched the flames dance haphazardly. He paid some amount of attention to the group around him, the open flame soothing him enough to a degree to tolerate them. "Man, you need to come on our hunts more often, Kurama. Feed a wolf like that and he can kill anything," Avidan said, leaning back. "I am certain the next meal Jen would have cooked for me would have poisoned me."

Jen arched a brow. "That's because it would have been intentional, Avi."

Avidan scoffed in response. "It would happen even if you didn't hate me for my opinion of your cooking and my good looks."

Jen snorted in response. "Yeah, Avi, looks so good, you could give a warthog a run for his money," she said and the group errupted in laughter. Even Hiei smirked a little at their banter.

"Gee, is that why you are unmated, Jenny? You prefer warthogs to wolves? We both know you got a thing for me, and if I resemble a warthog..." he trailed off, wagging his eyebrows at her as he leaned closer to her.

Jen wrinkled her nose and pushed Avidan away, smiling. "I was actually curious as to why you are unmated, Jen. I had assumed you would be by now," Kurama said, frowning.

Jen shrugged. From what Hiei could tell, she had relaxed. Her regal and formal air was gone and she appeared to be just like anyone else in the group. "Have you seen the prince's of Aerisia? They are weak and snivelling babies."

Salvatore scoffed. "Being a prince of Aerisia, I take offense to that. I happen to be stronger than you, little sister. I am only your second by choice," he said, humor tinging his voice.

Jen smiled slightly but chose to ignore Salvatore, continuing. "Take the male that approached me before we left, for example. Impeccable bloodlines. According to the council, the most fit mate for me," she said before she arched a brow. "I could poke him and he would start crying, Kurama. Hell, I could sneeze on him and it would kill him."

Avidan errupted with laughter, seizing an opportunity to poke more fun at Jen. "Well you've always liked your men submissive, Jen. The council is just trying to make it easy for you," he said, throwing his arms up.

Jen shook her head with a smile as she looked up at the sky. "Some day, I'm going to find a place where I don't have to live my life always focused on formalities and traditions. I won't have to be constantly scolded because of one wrong word in an entire speech."

It was Hiei's turn to scoff. Had he not been relaxed slightly by the fire, he probably wouldn't have said anything. "Hn, must be difficult, being a princess."

Jen looked at him pointedly and images of her being beaten to the brink of death flooded his mind. _This must be some of the parts she blocked out._ The beatings were brutal and her final beating nearly resulted in rape. Jen had narrowly killed the guards before dropping them in a bloody heap in front of her parents bedroom door. His mind cleared before she spoke again. "It has its ups and downs," she said, rather calmly.

"Hn."

Sensing the tenseness, Avidan changed the subject. "By the way, don't ever let Jen try to cook you her rendition of the human dish called _tacos_. Worst. Idea. Ever."

Kurama stiffled a laugh. "I believe Jen has already tried to make those for me. Remember, Jen? We were about seven and you had been reading about human dishes in your cooking class and the result was a disaster."

Jen scoffed. "It wasn't That bad."

"Jen, we had food poisoning for nearly a week," he said, Avidan howling with laughter.

"I don't see you doing any better, Avi," Jen said raising an eyebrow.

Avidan shrugged. "I know my limitations. My talents reside in killing stuff and looking sexy," he said, winking at Jen, who, again, pushed him.

Avidan tumbled away from her, pretending as if she had actually pushed him hard and sprawled out on his back, grasping at his arm. "Oh, Gods! My arm! It hurts! It burns! The agony is unbearable. My own pack leader beats me. What is this world coming to?"

Jen picked up a rather small smoldering stick and tossed it behind her at Avidan. He yelped and jumped up, brushing the embers off his shirt as he stomped on the stick to extinguish it. "You crazy woman! Smoldery the Bear would be furious!"

Jen frowned. "Smoldery the Bear?"

Kurama coughed slightly, "I believe he means Smokey the Bear. He is something of an icon for wildfire prevention in the human world."

"Yeah! That guy!" Avidan said and Jen shook her head.

"You and your slaughtered human catch phrases," Jen cleared her throat. "Anyway, we need to get some rest. We will reach the tear tomorrow as dark falls. We need to be ready."

Avidan snorted "Yeah, right. Delphyrs are nothing but target practice with how slow they move," he said, but even as he was voicing his disagreement, he still moved to lie down for the night.

Hiei leaned back against a tree, staring into the flames as the group quieted down for sleep, contemplating what was coming and who their new allies were. He could say he enjoyed them mildly, though grudgingly and he would never admit actually it. Their humor was sharp and quick-witted. Most importantly they left him alone for the most part, allowing him to quietly observe unless he chose to say something.

He sighed as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, allowing a light sleep to over take him. Tomorrow would be a long day.

* * *

_A/N~ Yeah! Another chapter done! On a roll! I can honestly say I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I've always loved writing interactions between Jen and Avi and this was no different. Looks like tomorrow is our epic battle scene and everything changes from there. I'm really excited to see this all play out._

_Thank you for reading :) Review, Favorite, PM, do whatever it is you do, but most importantly, enjoy it :)_

_Much love ~Jessa_


	5. Chapter 5

The air was hot and thick, the stench of blood the only noticable scent in the breeze-less air. Hiei focused on the mass of energies they were quickly approaching. Since they were not attacking Mukuro or her lands directly, and he was technically upholding his oath of defending the borders by clearing out the Delphyrs and sealing the tear, all he did was tell Mukuro telepathically that they were entering her lands to take care of the tear. There had been no response, but he didn't care much. He was more focused on the battle ahead of them.

He wasn't entirely sure how barely doubling their numbers would result in anything different than last time. He was aware the wolf-demons were known for their feral combat, but he doubted it would change anything, save for how long they held before having to retreat again.

Yukina, Genkai and Jettalynn had remained at camp for safety. A shiver went through him as a bad feeling rose up and nestled itself firmly in his chest. He ignored it, as he usually did and focused on the task ahead. The group was growing restless as they neared the tear.

As it came into sight, each person readied themselves before charging head-long into the swarm again. The wolf-demons used little-to-no weapons, as they met each Delphyr with a snarl and beared teeth. Their fighting style was incredibly animalistic, tearing their foes apart with lengthened claws and often even their teeth. Vaislen had metal contraptions that covered his hands and fingers with intricate spikes and blades, which was the closest thing Hiei saw to a weapon any of them held aside from the royal daggers Jenista and Salvatore had and occasionally used.

It was strange seeing them so unrestricted. Animal-based demons had instincts more powerful than the common demon, and yet more often than not, the wolf-demons appeared less affected by instincts than even the common demon. He assumed the battlefield was where they let their instincts take control, enjoying the blood bath.

Hiei's eyes narrowed as he continued to cut through the swarm. The size of the Delphyr swarm seemed to actually be shrinking; In even less time than it had taken to be over-whelmed and forced to retreat prior. Something wasn't right, but he ignored it as he focused on the battle at hand. The sooner he ended it, the sooner he could figure out what the real deal was.

Without warning, a peircing, pain-filled howl shot through the air. Cutting through the swarm, he made his way toward the sound to find Jenista on the ground, her body writhing with pain as she snarled, ordering the other wolves to stay back and informing them about the electricity the Delphyrs were weilding.

Another snarl ripped from Jen's lips as her body began to rapidly change from her normal appearance to a large wolf and back. She seemed unable to control it as animalistic growls and cries of agony came from her. A delphyr approached Jen, stuck helplessly in her shuttering forms. Hiei jumped forward to stand over her shifting body, sword angled to defend her.

Despite Jen's orders, Avidan let out a howl of fury, charging at more of the Delphyrs near-by. Attempting to steer clear of what looked like electrified rods some of the Delphyr held, the rest of the pack began to engage as well, more carefully this time. Hiei saw Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara closing in on the Delphyr as well. One final push and the remaining Delphyrs finally pulled back, retreating deeper into Mukuro's lands. The wolves howled with victory, chasing them a little ways to ensure they really were retreating and not just regrouping near by.

Kurama was knelt beside Jen, a painful look in his eyes as he watched his old friend's agony. Hiei glanced over at the tear and saw Yusuke and Kuwabara begin to seal the tear with their energy. "How long does it last," Hiei asked, anxious to get back to camp to ensure his bad feeling had nothing to do with danger befalling his sister.

"For as long as Jen holds conciousness. Eventually she will pass out, being too drained to handle the toll shifting takes on her body. The electrical waves will be able to leave her body then," Kurama said, still looking down at Jen.

"Hn."

Hiei knelt down with his sword in hand and swiftly struck Jen on the side of her head with the butt of his sword. Her body stilled, finally resting in her original form. Pain still contorted her face, but the shuttering had stopped.

He stood back up and looked to Yusuke and Kuwabara approaching. "We need to head back to camp," Yusuke said as the wolves came to a stop at the group as well.

Salvatore silently picked up his unconcious sister and nodded, making their way back to the camp silently.

The trip through the night remained silent, despite the victory. Hiei figured he wasn't the only one who found the battle to be surprisingly easy, but he assumed the silence from the wolves was due to the state of their alpha. Kurama had told him they didn't know how long Jen would be unconcious. If enough damage had been done by the electric shock and shuttering, she may not even wake up the same person. She wouldn't die from it, but memories, habits and basic mental things could be lost.

They reached the camp just after dawn, Hiei relieved to find his sister unharmed. From what Genkai said, a small band of demons had stumbled on their camp but Jettalynn and Genkai handled it easily. Exhausted from the battle and trip back and unwilling to tolerate the group, Hiei jumped up into the closest tree, finding a firm branch to rest on.

From below he heard Yukina offering her healing abilities to the wolves after healing Yusuke and Kuwabara. Himself and Kurama had sustained very few injuries, so it wasn't necessary. The wolves seemed hesistant, but after Jettalynn insisted, assuring her mate that Yukina had pure intentions. Salvatore, though tense at first, allowed Yukina to heal him, followed by Avidan and Terrance. Makya and Vaislen had refused.

Hiei watched curiously as Yukina knelt beside Jen with a small bowl of water and a cloth. The other wolves had been able to clean themselves off, but Jen, still unconcious, was still caked with blood and dirt. Yukina washed Jen carefully, healing wounds as she found them under the mess. She moved to washing her hair, seeming to be taken by the texture of the fur-like hair. Avidan had sat near her, watching her closely, but not suspisiously. Yukina was easy to learn to trust as her innocence and pure heart showed in everything she did.

Biting her lip indecisively, Yukina placed her hands on Jen's forehead, the soft glow of her healing powers illuminating Jen's face, which was still set in a deep frown of pain. Hiei continued to watch as she pushed her healing abilities further. It wasn't until her energy snapped back at her, startling Yukina that she finally stopped. With a defeated sigh, Yukina pulled back and watched Jen silently.

Jen remained unconscious for the entire day and most of the following night. When Hiei came awake, he looked down. Panic shot through him as he found Yukina and Jen missing from their previous spot. Scanning the camp, he saw no sign of them before reaching out telepathically and locating them near by. He dashed to investigate and found them at a body of water not far from camp, talking quietly. He watched silently from a tree.

"Thank you again for saving me from that group at Aerisia. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come when you did," Yukina said, her sweet lilting voice floating up to his ears.

Jen nodded slightly in response. "I doubt I would have even remembered that, had you not healed me to the extent you did. Thank you for that."

"What is it like being a princess," Yukina asked after a moment of silence, curiousity seeming to get the best of her.

Jen looked up to the sky thinking for a moment. Hiei could tell she didn't want to tell Yukina about the more negative and haunting parts of being royalty. After a long moment she answered. "It is like having everything you could ever want at your fingertips, but being held to a standard that forbade you from actually having them. Nearly everything is expected of you but you are also expected already know it for yourself. No one really takes the time to tell you. You listen to the problems of others and hide your own. A constant mask of formality," she finished.

Her tone had been thoughtful, giving an honest answer but her distaste didn't show through. Yukina stared up thoughtfully. "I expect that's a great deal of stress to handle."

Jen shrugged, scanning the lake with her eyes. "You get used to it. You find little things to take pleasure in. I always find myself calmed by the night sky. The twinkling stars seem to offer silent companionship. My father once told me it was because our ancestors reside there, watching over the world from afar and offering guidance to those who seek it."

Yukina's eyes stared up into the sky in wonder as she smiled. "That is a lovely way to think of it," she said quietly before yawning slightly. "I think I should head to bed. Is there anything I can do for you before I go?"

Jen shook her head in response before looking up at Yukina as the ice maiden stood up. "Thank you for your company, Yukina."

Yukina nodded slightly with a smile and departed back to the camp. Hiei listened to her movements to ensure she made it safely back to camp and had settled comfortably in for sleep. He remained in the tree as he stared down at Jen with slight curiousity.

* * *

Jen tilted her head to the side, angling her ear towards the fire demon in the tree behind her. He had been there for some time but made no motion to make it known. "I am curious why you haven't told Yukina that you are her brother. She told me of how she longs to meet him," she said quietly and it was only then that he jumped down from the tree and walked forward.

Remaining standing as he came to a stop behind Jen, he answered her after a long pause. Part of her expected him not to answer her. Hiei had remained quiet and withdrawn the night before for the most part, only observing everything. It surprised her when she actually heard him answer. "She doesn't need to know her brother is a thief and cold-blooded killer."

Jen continued to stare up at the stars as she spoke. "She would understand the necessity to survive."

Hiei's response was quiet but short. "It is easier this way."

Jen nodded, accepting that and allowing the silence to fall between them. She figured it was because to tell Yukina would be to make it common knowledge. Since his sister seemed to be one of few things he cared for, Jen assumed it was to keep Yukina safe from anyone who might want to hurt him.

It was calming to stare up into the sky with Hiei near by. She felt him staring up at the sky as well, his aura of warmth that exuded from him touched her back and right arm, even though he was still a good foot or two away from her. "Do you think all ancestors up there," he asked, surprising Jen that he had even said anything, much less the quiet curiousity that hitched in his voice.

Jen nodded slightly. "The stars are countless. I can't imagine wolf-demons would be the only ones who ascend after their passing. I believe all our ancestors are up there, guiding us when we need it most."

A peacefulness seemed to wash over them, a soft 'hn' from Hiei as they remained there for a long time, silently keeping each other company as they studied the stars.

* * *

Hiei wasn't sure why he even asked, or why he found a slight comfort that his mother might actually be up there. Honestly, he wasn't even sure why he was there to begin with. Yukina was safe and left a while ago. He figured it was mostly the relaxation from sleeping for as long as he did and the slight curiousity in what Jen had said about the ancestors. Jen intrigiued him slightly. Only slightly, but her acceptance of silence helped his tolerance of her a great deal. He couldn't stand how people almost always needed to try to make conversation. _They are just foolish stories people make up in order to be okay with death,_ he thought to himself finally, banishing the thoughts of ancestors.

He didn't want his mother to see what he had become anyway. Jen speaking pulled him out of his thoughts. "There seems to be a stronger presence in the sky tonight," she said, her voice holding a tone of uneasiness, but she seemed to dismiss it as quickly as it came. "Perhaps it is because we are outside of the pseudo-atmosphere of Aerisia," she finished.

Hiei felt like something was off too, but didn't say anything about it. The bad feeling had remained heavy in his chest, dancing at the edge of his thoughts, but until he figured out why he had it, there was no use in worrying over it. As he found many times, by the time he realized why he had a bad feeling, it was already too late.

So long as his sister remained unharmed, it really didn't matter to him what happened anyway.

* * *

_A/N~ So this one ended up being mostly in Hiei's PoV which was kind of surprising. I usually don't write as much in his PoV but this chapter it seemed best through the eyes of Hiei. That and Jen was unconscious for a lot of it, I don't think she had a very interesting view point :P_

_Any way, next chapter is going to be an important one, so I may take a little more time on it. More Hiei/Jen interactions away from everyone too. :)_


	6. Chapter 6

Jen wasn't entirely sure when she fell asleep, but at some point, she had laid down on her back by the lake and fallen asleep. She came awake slowly to a peculiar sensation. A hand, its touch feather light, sliding through the hair beside her face. It reminded her of when Leta would crawl into Jen's bed after a nightmare, and fall asleep stroking her hair.

Jen opened her eyes to find the last person she expected. Crimson eyes staring down at her as his hand froze, Hiei had been the one stroking her hair. Before she could say anything, he disappeared.

Confused, Jen sat up and wondered if she even saw him there. Then only thing that told her she wasn't entirely insane was the lingering scent of a smoldering log that felt cold when she inhaled. Shaking her confusion away, Jen stood up and walked over to the camp, just as the sun was rising.

She was greeted by a group people who rushed to her, bombarding her with questions. Jen held a hand up to silence them and said simply, "I am okay, we should make our way back."

* * *

Hiei didn't know why he had touched her hair. It was as if his hand had moved on its own accord. That's what he told himself atleast. Somewhere else in his mind, hidden away and unacknowledged, he knew the truth. He wanted to know what her hair felt like running through his fingers. He wanted to know other things too, but he didn't dare think about them. They were foolish, not to mention impossible, things.

Hiei stayed away from the group as they made their way back to Aerisia. He couldn't help but look into Jen's mind. What had she thought about waking up to him touching her? He expected disgust and anger, but only found curiousity. Hiei swore he felt something else but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

He kept a mental tether of sorts to her as he continued to jump through the trees with ease, curious to see if that unplaceable feeling came back and he could investigate it further. The bad feeling had remained in his chest, deep-rooted and had only increased as he continued towards Aerisia.

As Aerisia came into view, he froze. Someting was definitely not right. Well ahead of the rest of the group, Hiei proceeded with caution, his senses straining. As he came to the edge of the cliff to the North of the kingdom, he cursed.

* * *

To Jen, the walk back had been uneventful. Avidan had been talking with Yusuke, Salvatore was catching up with Kurama and Terrance was talking to Kuwabara and Yukina about wolf customs. She could sense Hiei parallel to the group off in the trees. Something about his energy seemed to cling to her, as if she could feel him in her thoughts and ribbons of his energy were wrapping themselves around her. It was a curious feeling, though she didn't dwell on it much.

Jen still couldn't place why she had felt a difference in the presence in the sky. She had passed it off as being outside of Aerisia, but deep down, she knew something else was different. She had been outside the atmosphere plenty to know better but she refused to elaborate on it.

Avidan had swung his arm over Jen's shoulders as they walked, startling her out of her thoughts. "So you think they are gonna have a parade for us, Jenny," he asked, his usual upbeat voice making her smile.

"We went on a mission that was disapproved by the society, not only because it did not affect us, but it was also during the time of a Prince's mate-celebration. If we get anything, it will be a serious tongue-lashing from the ancestral council."

Avidan seemed to think about that for a moment. "Yeah, but we, the disapproved, kicked some serious ass! They have to at least give us props," he said, nodding his head at the end.

Jen laughed a little. "Come on, Avi. We both know that wasn't anything all that difficult."

Avidan frowned. "Yeah, come to think of it, I was surprised it was as easy as it was. I know we are bad ass and all, but that seemed like the other four could have taken care of it."

Kurama spoke up at that point. "It was a great deal easier than I had anticipated."

Avidan smirked. "Maybe they caught wind you recruited a group of wolves and they ran away."

Jen laughed but didn't say much more about it. What had her confused was how they knew their weakness. It was a very little known fact that electrical shock would render a wolf-demon incapacitated, and they made a habit of neutralizing those who did know about it.

So why was it the Delphyrs had been armed with electrical rods? She knew Mukuro had no knowledge of it, considering she would have taken advantage of it long ago and stormed Aerisia. It made her uneasy that an enemy they weren't aware of had the knowledge. Jen made a mental note to tell her father as soon as they arrived.

Jen had been pulled out of her thoughts once again by Avidan as he clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Race you to the front door," he said as he took off.

Jen smirked, tearing off after him. She always caught him at the cliff because she could leap farther, land, and continue her run smoother than Avidan. She took to the trees, dodging through them with ease as the scenery flew by. Something strange went straight through her causing a panic to ripple through her. So taken by it, she nearly crashed into Avidan and Hiei standing at the edge of the cliff. She froze as her eyes raised to the kingdom.

The pseudo-atmosphere was gone. The entire kingdom held a certain greyness to it and Jen trembled, unable to sense anything. "No," she said quietly as the rest of the group approached the cliff.

Jen launched herself from the cliff, landing near by and running towards the walls. Vaguely she heard Kurama call out to her to be careful. She knew they followed her but only one was close on her heals. _Hiei._

She tore open the doors and nearly whimpered. Dead bodies lie strewn through out the entire kingdom. Jen looked around, numbness washing over her as she saw her people slaughtered at her feet. Jen turned to the group, speaking with determination. "Split up and search the kingdom for any survivors."

"But Jen-" Avidan started and Jen snarled.

"Now."

Without another word, the wolves split up and began making their way through the ruins as Jen made her way to the palace itself. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noticed Hiei and Yusuke following silently but didn't pay much attention.

Once inside the palace, Jen placed her hand on the wall and concentrated on lifting the energy signature from the room. Feeling some degree of confusion from Yusuke, she spoke quietly as she continued to concentrate. "Everything we do leaves an energy-based mark on the objects around us for a short time before it dissapates completely. With concentration, you can pull those signatures of sort from the objects and in a sense retell what happened there."

As if on cue silverish forms seemed to lift from the walls, floor and surrounding objects. The forms were blurry at first but quickly sharpened as Jen pushed a small amount of her own energy through it all.

Jen saw Delphyrs everywhere fighting against the royal guard who were little to no match. Those who stood a chance were shocked and then slain on the ground. The trio made their way through the reenactment slowly, looking for some clue as to how the Delphyr got in.

With a sigh, Jen turned and froze immediately. The silvery image of her father standing there stole her breath. He walked toward her with a warm, relieved smile. Jen turned to look behind her to see her mother walking towards him. Stepping out of the way, her heart stopped at what she saw. There, in the center of the throne room, her mother had driven a dagger into her father's chest, a look of satisfaction gleaming in her mother's eyes as Kravyn fell to the ground. A look of surprise and betrayal creased his face as the life quickly faded from his eyes.

With a feral snarl, she forced as much energy out of her body as she could, banishing the reenactment. She hardly noticed Yusuke leaving to find the rest of the wolves as the energy slowly faded from the room. Now on her knees in front of her father's dead body, Jen let out a harrowing howl of vengence. Tears of anger and frustration fought to fall from her eyes as she noticed Hiei was now standing behind her silently. "It's all my fault," she choked out.

"You can not blame yourself for something you weren't even here for."

Jen shook her head as a single tear succeeded in falling. "You don't understand. The ancestors told me this would happen if I didn't find a mate. This is my fault."

Her head lowered as more tears, despite her best attempts, fell and mixed with her father's blood. Jen didn't even look up as Hiei scoffed. "The kingdom didn't fall because you didn't mate. The kingdom fell because your race's weakness was exploited and your queen let them in. Nothing more."

"But if I had been here-" Hiei cut her off.

"Then you would have been just as useless as the rest of the wolves who were shocked and executed."

Hiei's voice was firm, but held a tone of calmness and gentleness that calmed her to a degree. It was then that she noticed his hand on her shoulder. It didn't move, nor urge her to move; It was just there, just as he was just there. He didn't demand her attention. He didn't tell her what she needed to do. He didn't even scold her for crying. He was just there, a silent anchor that kept her from losing her mind. For that, she was grateful as she came to terms with what she just saw.

Hiei dropped his hand from her shoulder an instant before the group crashed into the room, Salvatore and Yusuke at the lead. "Is it true?" Salvatore's voice was hitched with grief as he stared down at their father. "Did she do this?"

Jen could only nod, assuming Yusuke had told them what the energy signature had revealed. Salvatore let out a howl of agony before disappearing, Jettalynn disappearing after him with a sob. Avidan sank to his knees beside her, intending to wrap an arm around her and Jen snarled. "Find her," she growled. "Bring her to me alive."

The group shifted uncomfortably and Jen growled again as she looked up. "Did you not hear me? I said-"

"Carlotta has fled to Mukuro's kingdom. We traced her to the Lord of the Makai's own dwellings," Makya reported and Jen growled again.

"So break down the door and drag her out of Mukuro's by her hair and bring her to me," she snarled.

"But what about-"

Jen cut off Terrance with another snarl. "Fuck the treaty. Makya and Terrance, bring Carlotta to me by any means necessary."

With uneasiness, they nodded before leaving. "See to it our guests make it out safely," she said quietly to Avidan before Yusuke stepped forward.

"Hey, we aren't going anywhere. The Delphyr are still our problem, and they attacked because they saw an opportunity that we created by asking for your aid. We will stay until everything is settled."

Too tired to argue, Jen nodded slightly, partly grateful for the support. "Then see to it our guests are tended to," she said to Avidan, who nodded and stood.

"If you will follow me, I will lead you to an inn we've been clearing out for those still alive."

The upbeat tone was gone from Avidan's voice. His usual prankster self was gone and in place was a somber, defeated wolf whose family, much like hers, had been slaughtered. Their race may have frowned on them, each for their own reasons, but they were still their people that they vowed to protect.

Now alone, Jen stood with a sigh, looking around. The throne room that had once glowed with life and strength now laid in shambles, their proud leader dead in the center. With a painful sigh, Jen left the room and pushed on to aiding in cleaning up the inn.

* * *

Hiei could feel Jen's grief straight to his bones as they cleared the area. Due to the pseudo-atmosphere, Aerisia had no ceilings in their buildings. Between the controlled climate, and their connection to the stars, it made sense, but now as the sun was setting, he felt the frigid cold start to sink into his skin. It wouldn't bother him, but he expected the rest, especially the dumb human would struggle from it.

He walked through the hall shortly after everyone had been appointed rooms and settled in for the night. Listening to the shivering and thoughts of anger and betrayal in each room, he stopped in front of Jen's room. The turmoil he felt was beyond description as her father's murder ran through her mind over and over. He opened the door, intent on telling her to quit thinking about it and get to sleep. He froze at the sight of Jen already asleep. The images in her mind began to shift to the people in the inn being slaughtered. Closing the door behind him without a sound, he leaned against the wall near the bed.

Some time later, Jen came awake with a scream. Hiei shielded the room so the sound wouldn't draw everyone's attention as she looked around the room before finally focusing on him. Without a word she got up and wrapped her arms around him tightly, burrying her face in his shoulder. He froze, unsure of what to do as she sobbed against his chest. Deciding to rely on instinct, he wrapped his arms around her slowly, carefully cradling her against him.

Hiei ignored how her body felt good against his. How her scent of lavender calmed his senses alongside the scent of something that purely belonged to her, that did other things, far less calming. Pulling him from his thoughts he heard her mumble, "I'm glad you are okay."

"It was just a dream," he said, unsure of exactly what to say that would calm her.

His voice seemed to pull her out of her daze as she pulled back and wiped her face quickly. "I apologize. I'm not entirely sure what came over me," she said quietly, though her mind was still on her nightmare.

"Hn. Must run in the family," he said quietly, smirking slightly.

He succeeded in a small laugh from Jen, though he was unsure why it pleased him. Sadness washed over her as she remembered Leta and a small pang of regret hit his chest, realizing the little girl was dead. He even felt a twinge of grief over the young girl, but couldn't quite place why. _Perhaps the wolf's emotions are rubbing off on you since you are in her head so much,_ he thought to himself and sighed. He knew the real reason.

Leta's innocence and pure heart had reminded him of his own sister, who never refused anyone kindness. Leta's indiscriminate gesture towards him had touched him, and now, something pure and innocent had been destroyed.

Jen's shivering as she moved back toward the bed shook him from his thoughts as her thoughts ran through his head. _I hate the damn cold. Might as well be back on the floor in the dungeons._ Images of her beatings followed by being left on the frozen ground flooded his mind as he continued to look into her thoughts.

Without a word, and refusing to really elaborate to himself on the 'why' of what he was doing, Hiei laid down beside her, his arm barely touching against hers. Bracing himself to leave in an instant, he looked into her thoughts. Surprise, then confusion, followed by gratefulness, but the disgust he anticipated never once touched her thoughts. Hiei was in turn surprised that she turned on her side towards him and laid her head on his shoulder. The intimacy of the moment made him want to run as far away as possible and never come back, but he refused to give in to the idea of fleeing from something.

No, Hiei would never flee from anything, especially not a wolf-demon who hated the cold. That was why he stayed. Somewhere in his mind, he heard himself laugh.

_Yeah, keep telling yourself that._

* * *

_A/N~ Okay, so I simultaneously love this chapter and hate it. I would have loved to show more of Jen and Kravyn interacting and I love the character of Kravyn, but I felt it lean towards this. Perhaps there will be flashbacks where you can see some more of Kravyn._

_But I do love it because it shows a little bit of bonding between Jen and Hiei and we all love that :P_

_Anyway, review, favorite, message, whatever you fancy, and hope you have enjoyed it so far. :) Don't be afraid to let me know what you think! I love feedback_

_Oh, and to answer a few people who PM'd me about this whole "You gotta mate within a week" thing the ancestors told Jen, no, I'm not gearing up for Hiei to be mated to her to save the kingdom. One, the kingdom already went to hell and there's no going back (later chapters will explain why it was sped up) and Two, the council would never accept Jen being mated to Hiei. And Hiei might have a few objections too. Don't get me started about Jen._

_Anyway, have fun :)_

_Much love ~Jessa_


	7. Chapter 7

Hiei came awake slowly to a strange sensation pulling him from his sleep. Slowly, he remembered where he was. He had fallen asleep beside Jen, stubbornly refusing to run away.

Only now, instead of lying on his back, he was on his side, with Jen craddled protectively in his arms. _When the hell did this happen?_ Her arms were wrapped around his torso tightly, giving him a warm feeling in the center of his chest that he didn't want to think about. His mind elaborated anyway. An unspoken-of part of him had always wanted this kind of feeling; To feel wanted, needed even.

Disgusted with himself, Hiei started to move but stopped as her breath landed against his neck, sending chills over his body. His previous thoughts lost to him along with his resolve to leave, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Jen stirred slightly, causing him to freeze. Her body shifted against his in a way that felt entirely too good to think about.

Hiei kept his eyes closed as she lifted her head, the realization of where she was and who she was with hit her. He fully expected her to pull away but to his surprise, she laid her head back down. "Thank you, Hiei," she said, barely audible.

"Hn."

His soft response caused her to jump, startling her slightly. He opened his eyes to find her staring up at him. "I wasn't aware you were awake."

He arched a brow in curiousity. "Then why did you say 'thank you?''

Jen shrugged, still staring up at him. Her golden eyes were locked on his, seeming to search for something. He watched silently as her eyes followed the lines of his face, the invisible touch of her gaze moving over his face, feather-light. When her gaze fell to his lips, he felt a slight shiver run up his back, his eyes dropping to her own lips.

Before he thought better of it, he dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. Stunned, Jen didn't move for a heartbeat, but soon relaxed, kissing back. His mind went entirely blank after that, all thought or reason completely gone as her hand slid up his chest to rest along his jaw.

* * *

Jen didn't even know what she was doing, but she couldn't stop herself. Surrounded by his strength and scent, Jen parted her lips as his probing tongue brushed against her lower lip. With a light growl from Hiei, the kiss deepend and before she knew what was happening, she was pinned between him and the bed, his arms braced on the bed on either side of her head.

Despite being trapped, Jen didn't feel panic as the realization that she was at Hiei's mercy dawned on her. Strangely, it didn't bother her in the slightest as he continued to kiss her. She ran her hands up his arms and shoulders, resting one hand on his left shoulder while sliding the other into his surprisingly soft hair. His body weight pushed against her causing her to moan. Finally, he pulled away but remained above her. "Avidan is coming," he said quietly and without another word, he disappeared.

Jen saw no signs of him in the room as she looked around, thinking that she might have once again imagined him. _That would be one hell of an imagination, _she thought to herself. Just like Hiei had said, Avidan, threw open the door, his eyes a careful mask in front of the fury she felt from him. "Jen, come quick. It is Makya and Terrance."

Jen jumped up, still in her tank top and pants as she ran out of the room with her brother, the sight she came up on made her sick.

Terrance and Makya had been brutally beaten beyond recognition. Yukina came in and ran to them, dropping to her knees to heal them, but Vaislen caught her around her waist, pushing her away with a snarl. "Stay away from them," he snarled, baring his teeth as Kuwabara, Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei put themselves between V and Yukina, intent on attacking him. Insults flew between them, the situation escalating fast.

"Enough," Jen shouted, causing everyone to fall quiet. "Yukina only wanted to help, V. Let her."

V snarled at her. "This is their fault. None of this would have happened if they hadn't come and you hadn't agreed to leave-"

Jen cut him off, "They have nothing to do with this. If you want to be pissed off at anyone, be pissed at me. I'm the one who agreed to leave the kingdom. I'm the one who sent them to retrieve Carlotta. They are just trying to help us recover from the attack."

Vaislen responded with a snarl as he launched himself at Jen, both tumbling to the ground and rolling several feet. Jen pushed herself up from V and flipped back to land in a crouch, snapping and snarling as Vaislen righted himself and tore after her again.

Jen caught him this time, pushing against his shoulders with her energy that started to snap and crackle around them. She threw him against the wall and growled at him as he slumped to the floor. With Jen glaring at him, Vaislen pulled himself up but kept his head lowered, his glare aimed at the floor.

With a huff, Jen turned back to the group, reigning her instincts in as Makya and Terrance regained consciousness from Yukina's healing. "What happened?"

Makya stretched as he got up and helped Terrance up. "They knew we were coming for her already. It was like someone warned them," Makya said, with a glare.

Jen frowned. Only the people who were here had known she sent them after Carlotta, and she had no reason to doubt them, she didn't think. Her eyes widened as a thought dawned on her and she cut a glare to Hiei. "You," she snarled.

Hiei remained calm as his silence confirmed exactly what she was thinking. He had told Mukuro of Makya and Terrance coming. Unable to control her anger, she launched for Hiei who dodged out of the way. Following his movement, Jen caught his arm and threw him to the ground, intent on tearing her claws into him but he pushed himself out of the way as her claws hit stone instead of flesh.

Noticably more irritated, Hiei drew his sword, angling it towards her as she charged him. With a last second dodge, Jen moved to the side in a crouch. As she came up to tear into his side, he blocked her, his sword sinking into her shoulder. With a growl, Jen wrapped her hand around the sword. With Hiei slightly taken back as his sword sliced into her hand, Jen took the opportunity to push her energy through the sword and send it flying across the room, gasps from the group accenting the sound of metal skittering across stone.

With a growl, Hiei's forearm made contact across Jen's chest as he forced her back. With ease, he jumped to her left, slamming his shoulder into her side as he came up and hit her hard on the back. Jen crashed into the floor, face first. Rolling over, Jen started to get up, but Hiei's knee made solid contact in the center of her chest, his sword angled at her throat as he snarled at her. "I'm not one of your mutts that you can order around and throw into a wall to get them to listen. You knew I had an oath to Mukuro. The fact that you sent them anyway is your fault. Not mine."

The anger in his voice had startled her slightly, as did the fact that she was now pinned by him and unable to break free. The words he spoke were true and her shoulder and hand began to throb slightly. _Now that had to be one of your more stupid ideas,_ she thought to herself. Jen huffed and looked away from Hiei. She was still upset, but she knew attacking him was rather useless.

Hiei carefully let Jen up, sheathing his sword before leaving the room. Avidan started after Hiei but Jen stopped him. "He is right," she said, "and we have more pressing matters anyway. Has anyone heard from my brother?"

The group looked down in silence. Jen nodded slightly, sadness touching her eyes before she refocused. "Right. Our priority should be continuing to gather the bodies to give them proper burial and ensuring the Delphyrs don't return to finish us off. Avidan, organize and coordinate with Yusuke and Kuwabara for a place to bring the bodies to and figure out who may still be alive and in hiding. Vaislen and Makya, coordinate with our outside contacts and create a defense plan. Yukina, Kurama, and Genkai, organize a center for any wounded and a means of food. Though Kurama, I need to speak with you a moment."

After giving her directions, the rest of the group dispersed leaving Kurama and Jen alone. "I don't understand," she said quietly, "I never sensed Hiei leave."

Kurama's eyes widened slightly. "You- You know Hiei is a telepath, right? He doesn't need to leave the grounds. All he needs is to open a path of communication to Mukuro and tell her that way."

It was Jen's turn to be wide-eyed. "I had no idea," she said, her voice trailing off.

_So that must have been why I felt him in my thoughts and his energy around me, _she thought to herself. "I'm going to beat that little asshole next time I see him. To think I was intent on finding him and apologizing to him," she said and Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"Not to offend you, but I don't think beating him up necessarily worked last time," he said, a hint of humor in his voice.

Jen tilted her head thinking for a moment. "I suppose so."

Jen continued to think, knowing she would have to get back at him on an entirely different level. With a smirk, she knew what she would do. She barely heard Kurama. "I noticed Hiei was in your room all night last night. Is there something going on between you two?"

Jen tried to hide her blush as she thought about the kiss this morning. "I- Uhm. I'm not sure," she answered her old friend honestly. "He's the first male who I've ever come in contact with that was stronger and wasn't like a brother to me. For all I know it could just be the attraction of my instincts."

Kurama nodded, thinking for a moment. "Perhaps, but instincts would cause you to pull away from him, being that he is a hybrid, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know. I just always thought instincts weren't biased with bloodlines. Besides, it could be his instincts as well."

Kurama thought for a moment before speaking. "Hiei has changed a lot since I first met him. He has learned how to trust, though very few, and be trusted. He has learned grief and learned how to call something his home. Despite being released from his restriction to the human world, Hiei still chooses to spend most of his free time in the human world. But through all that time, I have never known him to act solely on instinct, especially with a female. His logic has always prevailed. Mukuro even laid her kingdom at his feet, promising him everything if he mated with her, but he refused."

Jen nodded slightly, contemplating everything as Kurama excused himself to go help Genkai and Yukina. It didn't really matter to her what was going on between them. She still had a legacy to create, and that required not mating. Besides, she could not allow herself to become involved with a direct informant of the one who was protecting her mother. She would get her legacy, and she would get her vengence; Regardless of instincts or anything else. With that thought in place and her idea to get back at Hiei carefully tucked away in the back of her mind, Jen set out to find Hiei.

* * *

_A/N~ Okay, so this one is a little shorter than the last few but that's because the next part is going to be big. So instead of one 5k+ word chapter, I decided to split it to 2k and 3k+. Anyway, I can't wait for the next chapter :) This one was just kind of a builder, to set up for the next chapter. Next chapter will include Hiei's thoughts on the kiss as well so don't worry. Both Hiei and Jen are struggling with some very foreign feelings, but there's no telling just What it is :P_

_Much love~ Jessa_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Three months later...**_

Hiei sighed frustratedly as he landed in the center of the clearing he had found. Sword drawn and breathing heavily. He launched himself in the air for another series of attacks, training himself as he landed again.

Without his control, his thoughts floated back to what he had seen when he peaked into Jen's mind. Images of them naked in bed racked his mind again and he growled, throwing his hand out to destroy a near by tree.

Ever since the day he kissed her, Jen had been thinking of nothing but incredibly intimate scenarios and it was starting to drive him mad. It was bad enough that he had kissed her. Her scent and lips still lingered on the edge of his senses despite the time that had passed.

He honestly had no idea why he had kissed her. It wasn't like he was fighting for control of his body, like most people talked about when they spoke of their sexual instincts taking over. He was in control; Not necessarily thinking, but in control.

_You are a pathetic fool, _he chastised himself. _Just blame it on something that isn't in your power and be done with it. That's what you always do, after all._ He growled quietly. He wasn't in the mood for his own sarcastic wit to work against him today. Nothing was happening to him. He would train, complete his mission and go back to his life in the human world with the occasional trip to the Makai for border patrol. _You really think you can go back? What about the fact that you witheld knowing exactly what was coming on to Mukuro's territory to protect Jen's pack members? Mukuro knows you knew. Why else has she been trying to summon you this whole time? _Growling again, Hiei slashed at the air again, with increased vigor.

So what if he hadn't told Mukuro all of the details. He warned her of an impending attack, which was all he was required to do. "So this is where you have been hiding during the day," he heard Jen say from behind him.

He arched a brow and looked back at her. Not to mention her reaction to him telling Mukuro. His lack of information is the only thing that kept the two wolves alive and Jen was still pissed off at him. "Hn," he said, quietly. Whatever. Things were virtually back to normal anyway. They often spent nights on watch in silence together, talking from time to time. He had warmed up to her a bit and surprisingly found himself enjoying Avidan's company as well.

His conversations with Jen weren't forced, which was a relaxing change. He had actually found himself telling her about how he came to meet Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara and their adventures. She had listened intently, never pushing for more than he wanted to share and in turn, Jen told him stories about her family. Everything was great; Until he would try to look into her mind. With a slight growl, turned away from her.

* * *

Jen smirked as Hiei turned away from her to stare into the fading sun. He sheathed his sword and began to walk away when she felt the familiar feeling of his energy wrapping around her and sliding through her thoughts. She immediately directed her thoughts to the sight of him walking away. _What a fantastic butt. I'd sure love to sink my teeth-_ Hiei tripped and stumbled a little and Jen stiffled a laugh. This had been so much fun over the last three months.

Hiei spun around to look at her with a glare. _Oops, busted. He's still in my head._ "You mean to tell me you have been doing this on purpose to me," he growled out.

Jen crossed her arms with a smirk. "I have. Kurama told me you were a telepath, when I asked how you notified Mukuro without leaving. Since I never realized my thoughts were entertaining more than just me, I figured I would be a poor host if I didn't make them more entertaining for the both of us."

She arched a brow as Hiei growled and in the blink of an eye, had her pinned painfully between him and a tree. "You have been the bane of my exsistance ever since you jumped to the defense of my sister," he said, lowering his head so his face was as close to hers as he could get without touching. His hot breath fell on her face. "I've made a mistake that could very well have cost me my immunity in Mukuro's territory, lost the hold on my control and now I find out you have been Toying with me?"

His anger was frightening, but she held strong. "Maybe you should stay out my head."

Hiei snarled, slamming his hand against the tree, causing it to splinter. "If I ever catch you thinking about that again, I will kill you."

Jen arched her brow further. "And if I ever catch you in my head again, you can garentee that that is Exactly what I will start thinking about."

Hiei looked poised to hit her but something caught his attention near by. Jen frowned as she heard an old chant of her ancestors rising from the trees to the east. She slipped out from under his hold and walked in that direction, Hiei following close behind.

The area of the forest had a blue etheral glow around it, Jen feeling the air alive. Within the glow, the image of her father formed, tall and proud. Around him, countless people formed, all staring at him "Who shall stand tall and brave the worst evils in times of darkness? Who shall lead our people from ruins to victory? Who will be our savior?"

Jen recognized his speech from her childhood, when the ancestors foretold of a dark future, when nearly all of the wolf race would fall. The ancestors said that one wolf would rise up and lead the remains of the race back to greatness.

"I am!" A small but proud voice shouted behind her. Turning around she saw the image of herself, younger than even Leta had been, fighting through the crowd to make it to her father. With a small smile, her father picked her up and put her on his shoulder. The image slowly faded and Jen sighed. It had just been a memory.

Jen turned to leave, walking towards Hiei, when a massive wave of energy swept through the trees from behind her. With a gasp, she turned to see her father's image standing infront of her. "Daddy," she asked quietly, her voice not far from the voice of the younger version of herself.

Her father smiled and nodded slightly and Jen blinked back her tears. "I'm sorry I failed you. If I had just done what I was supposed to-"

Her father cut her off and she heard Hiei scoffed behind her, no doubt frustrated that she still blamed herself. "This is not your fault, little one. This had nothing to do with you being mated or unmated. This was Carlotta's doing. The council had come to me, shortly after you left, to warn me that the future had changed course but I refused to listen, convinced that my mate would never betray me."

Anger boiled in Jen, but quickly dissapated as her father placed his hand over her heart. "Let go of your resentment. Focus on building a new life, just as you were always destined to do. Vengence is not worth the amount of loss you will suffer should you continue after your mother," he said.

Jen nodded slightly, unsure of just what to do. One thing was for certain though. "I will never trust my life in the hands of someone else."

Her father's eyes softened as his hand brushed her cheek softly. "Trust is all we have, my dear daughter. Without it, we all fall individually. Be cautious in who you trust, but never shut everyone out."

* * *

Hiei was stunned, to say the least. Never had he seen anything the likes of what he saw now. Countless beings came from the etheral glow of the forest, their power beyond anything he had ever felt before. Jen turned to the other beings as they enveloped her in energy. Kravyn had turned to Hiei and he felt his own heart rate quicken slightly. It wasn't often you saw someone, that was dead on the floor three months ago, up and moving around today. Kravyn's laugh rumbled quietly. "Don't worry, Hiei. You will get used to it."

Hiei arched a brow. "Hn. How do you know I'll even be here long enough to get used to it? In case you haven't noticed, your daughter is mad at me for betraying her trust and invading her privacy."

Kravyn laughed again. "If Jenista was mad at you, talking to her wouldn't even be an option. I know a lot of things, Hiei. Ancestors can see into the ever-changing prism of the future. Even as I am telling you this, events are shifting and changing. One thing is for certain though, you will still be around long enough to get used to the ancestral council coming around."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kravyn only laughed again and said nothing more. _Well, wasn't that helpful,_ he thought to himself sarcastically. Kravyn turned and walked towards Jen.

The form of Leta walked up to Hiei, with her hands on her hips. She held her hand out. Confused, Hiei reached out to touch the image of the young girl's hand. A warm tingle danced up his arm, straight to his chest. His eyes widened a little as Leta's laughter filled the air. "Take care of my Jen-Jen," she said with a nod, "I know you will."

As quickly as it came, the blue glow faded, leaving him and Jen alone in the forest. He felt Jen's sadness as she looked up at the sky. She sighed and turned towards him, the look in her eyes confirming the sadness. He felt for her. Grief was one of the few emotions he understood.

Without a word, Jen walked back towards Aerisia, Hiei silently following after. What had Kravyn and Leta meant? Did they know something he didn't? Could it possibly be that Jen and he had some kind of future together? With a glare, he shook all the questions out of his head. There wasn't a chance; Especially not in the way he had briefly entertained on the morning he kissed her. He was forbidden, and she was one of very few wolf-demons left. They would need every pure-blood line they could get if they wanted to restore their race.

Without warning, Jen turned and stopped on a dime, glaring slightly at Hiei. Surprised, Hiei stopped in front of her. "I know what my father said about trust, and I know he told me I should trust you most of all. I even know he told me we were some form of soul mates that he didn't really elaborate on, but I have other plans before even thinking about mating."

Hiei's eyes widened at her mention of soul mates. Surely, such things didn't exist, did they? It may explain her unique hold on him, but there had to be some chemical explaination for that. Deep in his own thoughts, he barely heard her continue. "I want my revenge. I want a legacy to be remembered by. If you have no problem waiting through all of that than I have no problem with a companionship with you."

_WHAT?_ Was this woman insane? What even made her think he wanted to be with her? "Does that sound reasonable to you," she asked.

_No._ "Sure."

_What the Hell? Why did you say sure? She's crazy and you don't want to be with her, right? Are you just going to blame this on curiousity again? Or maybe the ancestral councils warm energy put you at ease so you could tolerate her, right? You are good at making up excuses for your actions._ He growled silently to himself. He didn't know why he agreed, but something made him agree. Something about wanting their long nights of relaxed talks to continue made him agree.

Something in him that wanted to know what it was like to have a significant other made him agree.

Jen seemed to be just as taken back as he was as she blinked a few times, not sure how to respond. He would have said curiousity made him agree, but that would just piss himself off. Maybe it was because he was getting older and the idea of leaving the world without a prodigy was causing him to act subconsciously. _Maybe you just enjoy her company and want to enjoy her more._ He cursed inwardly, silently telling himself to shut up.

He sighed, fed up with his little argument with himself. At some point Jen had turned and started walking again. So, were they dating now? Was this a courtship? Or were they supposed to just exist together? He really wished she would have elaborated more. With a frustrated sigh, he pulled her to a stop.

Jen looked back at him questioningly. "What exactly are we then? What do you want from me," he asked quietly.

Jen smiled and walked towards him and leaned forward, causing him to stiffen in defense, should she try to attack him. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, stunning him. "I want to be able to do that without you freaking out that I am going to hit you. I want you to learn to trust me and vise versa. I want your support and your ability to keep me grounded and rational, like you have the past couple months. I want your affection and loyalty," she sighed. "I know, it is probably too much to ask for. I guess all I want is to just not be marked or bonded until I have finished what I need to finish." Without another word, Jen turned and left.

Hiei stood there, silently for a long moment. Did she really want all those things from him? Was he even capable of giving those things? "Well, at least she doesn't leave you guessing about what she wants," Kurama's voice came out from the shadows as his fox-friend stepped forward.

"Hn. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you two are supposed soul mates. A lucky thing, to actually find your soul mate, you know. Most demons and humans walk the world their entire lives and never find their soul mate, or they find them and it doesn't occur to them."

Hiei scoffed. "Soul mates are just stories that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside about making a choice to stay with someone for eternity."

Kurama shook his head a little. "One day, Hiei, love is going to hit you square in the chest. It is going to scare the Hell out of you, make you feel weak and helpless, but when you see her and hold her, all of that will disappear and you will know what it is like to love and to be loved. It is unlike anything you have ever imagined."

"Hn. You sound like you know from experience," he said, arching a brow.

"Perhaps through the love of my human mother."

Without another word, Kurama walked away. Hiei stood there, thinking for a long moment. He looked up in the sky, feeling the energy he had felt earlier in the forest and turned to see Leta standing behind him. Leta giggled quietly. "Have you come to give me more riddles, little onna," he asked and Leta shook her head.

"I felt the conflict in your heart. Don't worry. Love won't happen for a long time and it isn't something to be afraid of," she said, her sing-songy voice giggling as she skipped around him.

He began to walk towards Aerisia and Leta followed with a skip in her step and humming a soft tune. For reasons he didn't know why, the little girl's presence actually calmed him, her happiness almost contagious. Enough so, that he actually voiced his concerns.

"What if I am not capable of love? People who speak of love learn what it is from their parents and family. My father abandoned me before I was born and my mother shortly after I was born."

Leta giggled again. "That is nonsense, silly. Everyone is capable of love. You love your sister, don't you?"

"Hn."

"That's what I thought," she said, very matter-of-factly. "You know what love is, Hiei. In this case, it starts small, much like one of Kurama's plants as a seed, and grows into something huge and beautiful."

Hiei arched a brow. "Most of Kurama's plants eat you alive and cause unimaginable pain and suffering."

Leta laughed, scratching the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess that isn't the best example, huh?"

Hiei shook his head, smiling slightly. The little girl's mood was definitely contagious. Leta's musical voice returned. "Either way, you are capable of love, and when it happens, you shouldn't be afraid of it."

With that, she jumped up and hugged him around his neck, warmth spread through his chest, before she disappeared. With a small 'hn' he headed back to Aerisia, making his way towards Jen. _What the hell. Might as well see what the fuss is all about anyway.._

_ Great, so now you are taking the advice of a dead six-year-old girl. You really are losing it, Hiei._

* * *

_A/N~ Yeee~ :P So the ancestors have revealed a bit of the future, but will it set everything in motion, or alter the future in a way that drives Hiei and Jen apart? And what is the true motive of the ancestors telling them?_

_A few answers to more questions :) So many PMs, especially since I mentioned the last question I got, but not many reviews :( Thank you to Vhee and Scarlet for reviewing though :) Vhee has reviewed every chapter from the start and she is awesome :D She has some awesome stories too! Be sure to check out "Candy" and "In Loving Memory" if you want a good laugh :D But, onward to questions._

_**What happened between Hiei and Mukuro? Will we see more unfold from this?**  
_

_As Kurama explained to Jen, Mukuro asked Hiei to mate with her and he refused. More about exactly what happened will unfold as Mukuro is brought into the story more. It is just going to take some time. :) Our little fire demon doesn't really open up easily. He's just barely starting to tell her about the team. :)_

_**What is Vaislen's deal?**  
_

_Heh, V is...well, rough around the edges to say the least. You will find out more as the team learns of each of the wolves and their past together._

_**I imagine Hiei would push Leta away instead of hugging her back. Isn't that kind of out of character for Hiei to not lash out at a stranger?**  
_

_I think it is far from out of character. Leta's innocence and sweetness remind Hiei of Yukina, causing that rare soft side we see so few glimpses of to come out a little. Kindness has always stunned Hiei and I think with time, he is starting to learn how to accept it instead of lashing out._

_Plus, as I have mentioned to a few people before, people, including Hiei, change with time as they experience new things. That change isn't always predictable. Hiei will go through many more changes through out my stories, just as he did in the actual series. By the last chapter of the last story, Hiei will be a very different man. :)_

_Review, favorite, PM, creep in the shadows so I never know you exist, do whatever it is you do. :)_

_Thank you for reading so far~_

_Much Love ~Jessa_


	9. Chapter 9

Jen stared up at her ceiling they had built on the inn to help with the bitter chill of the night air, contemplating what her father had told her. Hiei was her soul mate. It didn't really make sense to her why her ancestors would be so willing to tell her that little tidbit and push them together, considering they frown on cross-breeding, nevermind with a hybrid.

She blew out a sigh and rolled onto her side, facing away from the window and tried to force herself into sleep. Their allies would be here tomorrow for their annual celebration of the arrival of winter and she needed her rest. _Thank the Gods Salvatore had disobeyed our father and made allies outside of the kingdom._ Sadness stung the corners of her eyes as she thought about her still missing brother. Jettalynn had returned a month ago, unable to find him.

Personally, she hated that it was turning to winter. The sub-zero temperatures played havoc with her energy, as if it could actually physically freeze her energy, much less her body. Typically, she would stay in her warmer wolf-form for the winter, but she refrained, considering the amount of communication she would need to do during the winter. The new ceilings would help, as would the heating machines Yusuke had explained, but it didn't change the fact that outside would still be frigid.

As she closed her eyes, the familiar scent floated through the room of a certain fire demon that she supposed she was dating now. Unable to sense him or even hear him, Jen opened her eyes and screamed, jumping backwards and falling off the other side of the bed. Hiei was kneeling at her side of the bed, and had been only a few inches away from her face. He smirked as she peeked up over the other side of the bed to glare at him. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking? Nevermind foot steps," she mumbled the last part.

Her glare intensified as she crawled back onto the bed and he arched a brow but still remained silent. She glanced around, a little nervous, as he just stared at her. "Did you need something," she prompted.

"Hn."

His lack of elaboration was starting to wear on her nerves as she sat up further and crossed her legs under her, glaring slightly. "Well if you aren't going to say anything, I need to get back to sleep; Big day tomorrow and all."

He answered by standing up and sitting next to her on the bed. After a few minutes, and just before Jen was about to snap at him, he spoke. "I wanted to know what your hair felt like."

Jen considered herself a fairly intellegent individual, who was able to follow thought processes and keep a conversation, but she was completely lost as to what he meant. "What does that have to do with-"

"You had wondered why you woke to me touching your hair by the lake on the morning we came back. I never answered."

She arched a brow. "So you came just to answer a question from months ago?"

He shrugged, but said nothing. She tilted her head, unable to really read his mood, much less his motives. "Well, thank you. I had been curious. What did you find when you felt it?"

His breath hitched slightly, barely noticable. "Softer than anything I've ever felt."

Jen had always thought her hair to be coarse and impossible to manage, yet Hiei seemed to think otherwise. She tilted her head. "You are a very interesting man, Hiei; Very difficult to figure out."

"Hn. Not much to figure out."

Jen shook her head. "A lot to figure out, actually. It seems like as soon as I think I have something figured out about you, you throw a curve ball and blow everything I originally thought out of the water."

"Like what?"

"Like how I originally thought tenderness wasn't your thing. Yet on several occasions, I've seen glimpses of tenderness, before they disappear back behind your concrete wall."

Hiei arched a brow. "I know nothing of tenderness. No one has ever shown me tenderness nor I them."

Jen's eyes widened slightly. "Not even from a lover?"

Hiei scoffed. "The only 'lover' I've had was Mukuro, and only briefly at that. We fought more than anything, beating the hell out of each other between rough kisses full of nothing but fury, hatred and blood."

Stunned slightly, Jen tilted her head to the side, thinking for a moment. What kind of life had he lived that he knew no tenderness? Bolder than normal, Jen reached out to his cheek furthest from her, a pang of sadness hitting her as he tensed, expecting her to strike him.

Carefully, she turned his face toward hers, and pressed her lips gently against his. Jen kept the kiss slow as her hand ran along his jaw and down to rest at the base of his neck. Hiei buried his hand in her hair as she ran her tongue lightly against his lower lip.

Just when she thought he wouldn't open up for her, his lips parted, their tongues dancing together lightly. They stayed like this for a few minutes, exploring one anothers' mouth before she pulled back slightly and rested her forehead against his.

A little embarrassed at how bold she had been, Jen bit her lower lip lightly. "There," she said quietly. "Now you can say you have experienced tenderness."

With a soft 'hn,' Hiei continued to toy with her hair, watching in wonder as her locks slid through his fingers with ease. "You need to rest," he said quietly.

Something in her didn't want him to leave, but she knew he was right. Jen nodded a little as he stood. She laid down as he headed for the window. Jen turned on her side to watch him leave. Just as he opened the window, he looked back and smirked slightly.

"Goodnight, Hiei."

"Goodnight, Onna."

Without another word, he was gone. With a sigh, and a soft smile, Jen closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Morning had come entirely too early, she decided, as sunlight stung her eyes through the window. With a stretch, she got up and showered. She came out of her bathroom in nothing but a towel as she squeaked, finding Hiei sitting patiently on her bed. He seemed nearly unphased by her state of dress, the only clue to his reaction being his jaw tightening slightly.

"What are you...-" she trailed off as she noticed he didn't have a shirt on and her throat went dry.

"I didn't know what would be appropriate to wear," he said, with a brow arched, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he seemed to notice the light blush on her cheeks.

Shaking the haziness away, Jen walked to the closet that she had moved her clothes from the palace to. "I guess semi-formal would be the official term."

Rumaging around, she found the dress she was looking for and hung it on the door. The halter dress was sleek, the top starting as a bright red that faded to black as it reached the bottom of the dress that went to her knee on one side and flowed freely in a diagonal cut to the floor in the back and other side.

"Hn. Guess I need to make a trip then."

With that, he was gone, leaving her to manage her hair and make up. Leaving her hair down, she dropped the towel around her body and slipped on her under-gaments followed by her dress and a pair of strappy black heels to counter her short stature. With one last look in the mirror, she sighed and departed to meet with everyone else for their allies' arrival.

Jen came up to the entire group waiting by the gate. Each member had dressed for the occasion, every male wearing black slacks and collared shirts. The only thing that varied was the color of the shirt. Her pack wore black, Yusuke dawned a green shirt, Kuwabara a blue shirt, Kurama's a dark purple, and Hiei in a blood red shirt that made his eyes practically glow.

Jettalynn wore a light lavender dress that had a similar cut as Jen's. Yukina wore a full-length light blue and white dress that was simple, but incredibly elegant on her. Genkai wore a black dress, a tic working in her jaw that told Jen she wasn't very happy about wearing the dress.

She sighed before speaking. "Just so you know ahead of time, these allies are...-" she paused, trying to figure out the right word. "Different."

Yusuke arched a brow. "I don't think you have much that could surprise us, considering everything we've seen."

"One is a telepathic demon who calls herself 'Pineapple.' She is unable to control hearing the thoughts of those around her, and is prone to outbursts of shouting. Another is a pixie, who is nearly six-thousand years old, but has the mental capacity of a five-year-old. The third is a teenage vampire who has nearly every form of government and military in all three worlds after her hide and she has a particularly destructive addiction to fire arms and explosives. Don't get me started on the fox who managed to tye-dye her ears and tail and chases bunnies with a sledge hammer for a living."

Stunned into silence, Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Hiei stared at Jen, wide-eyed. Kuwabara frowned. "Wait, vampire? Those things exist?"

Jen nodded slightly. "Most everything exists somewhere in the three worlds."

* * *

Hiei smirked, enjoying the increased level of fear that was coming from Kuwabara, but forgot about it as the gates opened and four women came in.

The first one he noticed must have been the pixie. Barely taller than a foot, she flew around their heads, her blue wings a blur as she twisted and flipped in the air. Her hair, eyes, and sparkling dress matched her wings as she studied each person before landing on Vaislen's shoulder, who seemed mildly annoyed, but made no motion to move the pixie.

The next was a younger woman with black hair, tied neatly back in a professional bun, matching her professional black skirt suit. Her black eyes darted about, studying each, staring a bit longer at Yusuke than the others. _She must be the vampire._

The fox with tye-dyed ears and tail twitched nervously, looking around at the ground rather than anyone. Her white hair fell to her hips, bangs dancing over sharp golden eyes that matched her knee-length dress. After a few moments of searching, she seemed to refocus on the people around her, eyes locking on Kurama.

"Dear Gods, I don't want to hear about that, Cherr. Stop it," the final woman cried, covering her ears. _Ah, the telepath._ Her green hair fell to the center of her back and her golden eyes focused on him for a moment, studying his forehead before examining the rest of the group. Her dress was creme-colored, off-the-soulder quarter-length sleeves and knee-length.

Jen cleared her throat and made the introductions. Turns out the vampire went by Peanut and the pixie went by Cookie. As stated before, the telepath called herself Pineapple, and the fox's name was Cherr.

A short time after, two more people landed at the gates; One male and one female, both dressed in black. Their pale white hair and lavender eyes were the traits of the lost dragon-demon race. In addition, they had black tails that swished behind them as they walked.

Jen nodded to them in acknowledgement. "And these guys are Blayne," she motioned to the female before motioning to the male. "And Vayne. Twin dragons."

Jen made quick work of naming everyone else off to the dragons before motioning to head to the palace. "Kurama, Yukina and Jettalynn have made something of a massive feast for everyone, so let the festivities begin."

Everyone cheered and ran for the palace, leaving Vaislen, Cookie, who refused to leave Vaislen's shoulder, Jen and Hiei, who simply walked in that direction.

Jen smiled softly at Hiei as they walked together and he couldn't help but remember last night. It hadn't seemed like much, he figured Jen even thought little of it, but her kiss had shook him to his core. Not to the point where he would start following her around like a lost puppy and displaying affection publicly. Gods, he would never do that, but it was enough to make him enjoy her company just a little more.

She had given him a gift, beyond anything he could give her, still believing he wasn't capable of tenderness. For that, he could tolerate her a little bit more. It seemed to be the general pattern for her; Carefully chipping away at his typical coldness and intolerance of everyone around him. The change was noticable to him, and maybe Jen, but he doubted it was big enough for anyone else to catch on, except maybe the fox, who was intuitive enough to make Hiei wonder a time or two if Kurama could read minds.

As they neared the palace, Hiei grew a little uncomfortable, the music thumping from inside the walls and lights streaming out of the windows. Outside the palace, tables and chairs had been set up with a small clearing, strings of light running from the top of the palace wall out to pillars spaced around the outside of the clearing.

He barely noticed the reassuring hand on the back of his shoulder, that only remained there for a short moment before Jen spoke. "Don't worry. I hate all the commotion too."

Arching a brow, Hiei looked back at her. "You are the one who put it on."

"It is a tradition of our people. My father would surely kill me if I didn't put it on. Besides, a celebration is a morale booster, which we could all use about now."

Hiei nodded slightly. She was right. They had recovered a handful of twenty-something wolves since the attack, some returning after living outside of Aerisia, others who fled on the day of the attack. They had openly welcomed Jen's leadership, though he had a feeling it would only be temporary.

The princess was still unmated, and would be for a long time. It wouldn't be long before the wolves grew restless for a male leader to stand at her side. _If only they knew that she would apparently mate to a hybrid fire demon, according to the ancestors._ He smirked slightly. That would be interesting to see.

Hiei took a deep breath as they stepped inside, preparing himself for the onslaught of celebration. _This is going to be a long night..._

* * *

_A/N~ Yeeee, another one! Aaaand, I got to introduce some of my favorite quirky characters. Now, so you know ahead of time, the next chapter is going to be a bit, uhm, steamy. So fair warning. Not completely going at it, but...- well, you will see. :P It will probably take some time, so I can make it just right._

_Review, Favorite, PM, Stalk and Enjoy~_

_Much Love ~Jessa_


	10. Chapter 10

It indeed had been a long night. Hiei remained propped against a back wall, as far away from everyone as he could manage. His arms were crossed, holding his drink in one hand. He lifted the glass and studied the odd-colored liquid. Jen had given it to him after the fox mentioned he liked sweet things. _Damn fox._

The liquid was a vibrant blue, unlike any liquid he had ever seen before. He lifted the glass to his nose, sniffing it carefully. The over-whelmingly sweet scent peaked his interest, a slight bitter scent seeming to lurk behind the sweetness. Hesitantly, Hiei brought the glass to his lips, taking the smallest sip. His eyes widened. It tasted just as sweet as it had smelled; No, sweeter.

The bitterness he had smelled was hardly noticable as he drained the glass of the sweet liquid, ice clanking as he stared at the now empty glass. He looked around the hall to find Jen, but was stopped by a small giggle to his left and turned to find the pixie floating beside him.

"Like that one, do you?" She giggled again. "That's my favorite one too."

He tilted his head to the side. "How do I get more?"

The pixie giggled again. "Just go over there and ask my dessi for an 'adios, motherfucker.' He will make you one right up."

Hiei followed her finger to Vaislen, standing behind a large counter. Somewhere in his mind, he wondered what the Hell a 'dessi' was, but deemed getting more of the sweet drink as more important. He walked over to Vaislen and set the glass on the counter. Vaislen looked at the glass and arched a brow. "What are you drinking?"

The pixie fluttered around Vaislen's head, whispering in his ear. For some reason, he couldn't understand what she said, despite his hearing abilities. Vaislen smirked as he raised his gaze back up to Hiei. "Comin' right up."

He watched as Vaislen took numberous bottles of liquid, pouring a little of each in a metal cup with ice. Placing the lid on it, V shook it a few times before pouring the vibrant blue liquid into a glass and placing it next to Hiei's empty glass, which he removed from the counter in the same fluid motion.

Without hesitation, Hiei took the glass and downed the drink again, the sweet liquid causing his taste buds to tingle and a warm feeling running down his throat, chasing after the liquid.

Vaislen looked at him increduously as Hiei set the empty glass back on the counter and nodded for another. With a smirk, Vaislen motioned to one of the seats. "Have a seat."

Several hours and Gods only knew how many drinks later, V and Hiei sat at the bar, laughing hysterically at Kuwabara's expense. "I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to pound that idiot's face in, mate. I don't know how you restrain yourself," V said, leaning forward on the bar, pointing at Hiei.

"I find it much more satisfying when he pounds his own face in by trying to hit me," Hiei replied with a smirk before both men errupted with laughter again. "Besides, Yukina would be upset with me if I actually hurt him," he finished after their laughing died down.

"Yeah, what's the deal between you and that brod anyway? You get pissed off anytime the human is close to her and treat her with the utmost respect."

Hiei smirked as he swivelled in his seat to lean his back against the bar, looking out into the crowd to locate his sister. He could feel her happiness from where he sat across the room as she laughed and danced with Pineapple and Blayne. "She's my sister," he said, smirking before looking back at Vaislen. "Only I'm not allowed to tell her that I am her brother."

Vaislen arched a brow. "Is that so," he said, low in his throat.

Hiei nodded. "It was the price for having my jagan implanted, even though the price was technically lifted. I had no intention of telling her anyway. I'd hate to see her disappointment if she were to learn her brother is a ruthless killer and theif."

Hiei wasn't entirely sure why he was talking. Maybe it had to do with the strange buzzing he heard in his ears, or the light-headedness. It seemed to be linked to many other uncharacteristic things he was doing. He noted Vaislen pouring another pair of drinks behind him as he continued to scan the crowd.

Finally, though he was unaware he had been looking for her to begin with, his eyes fell on Jen. She was laughing and dancing, moving around the crowd and talking with everyone as she moved. "She's a real beauty, ain't she," Vaislen said from behind him.

Hiei caught himself nodding as he continued to watch Jen. Shaking himself from the trance he turned back towards Vaislen and they clinked their glasses together as Vaislen had shown him.

"So what's the deal with you and that pixie?" he asked after downing his drink with V.

"She's sort of an adopted daughter. I found her and her sister when I was still a pup. We would have fun out in the forests chasing each other all day until the society discovered they were on wolf territory." His eyes darkened. "They killed her sister but Cookie was able to escape because I jumped in the way of the King's blast."

"It was shortly after that that Salvatore set into motion the plan for outside allies and included her in the group," he continued. "I'm pretty sure my brother did it intentionally to ensure Cookie's safety since she wouldn't stop visiting me, despite my wishes for her to stay away."

Hiei's eyes widened slightly. "Salvatore is your brother?"

V nodded. "I was about eleven when they discovered a deformity in my eyes and disowned me. It was only because of Salv that I was allowed to remain in Aerisia. After all the shit they put me through, I wonder if it would have been better if he let them kick me out."

Vaislen growled as he pulled a bottle and small glass out from underneath the counter. Now that he mentioned it, Hiei could see the slight silver sheen in Vaislen's eyes that was not present in any of the others' golden eyes. Hiei watched as he poured the amber liquid into the small glass and threw it back before taking a swig straight from the bottle. Hiei tilted his head. "What's that?"

V looked at the bottle before looking at Hiei. "Want to try it?"

With a nod, Hiei watched as Vaislen pulled out another small glass and then filled both glasses and passed one to him. "Just down it," V said before he threw back his own.

Hiei studied it for a second before doing what V said. The liquid burned all the way down his throat as he forced himself to not spit the liquid out. He set the glass on the counter, glaring at it. "That tasted vile."

Vaislen snorted as he took another swig. "You don't drink it for the taste, mate. You drink it for the way it makes you feel after."

Hiei tilted his head to the side. Now that he mentioned it, his head was swimming. His senses were dulled, which would explain why the lights and music hadn't given him a headache yet. He smirked slightly. "I could get used to this. Maybe the idiot wouldn't be such a nuissance if I felt like this."

V snorted. "Which idiot? There's a whole lot of them over there."

They both errupted with laughter again as Vaislen made him another sweet drink, sticking to the amber liquid for himself. Strangely enough, Hiei felt more at ease as he drank with the wolf. Talking was easier, though somewhere in the back of his mind, he chastised himself for speaking about the majority of the things he spoke of with him.

They spent the entire night drinking in their little corner, talking about various things. From Yukina and the Floating Island to Koenma and even Mukuro. Hiei learned a great deal about Vaislen too, mostly how the King, his own father, had him beaten repeatedly to turn him into a killing machine. The society worked to destroy everything he had ever cared for, even killing off one of their own that had been his intended mate. He had hidden Cookie carefully, much like Hiei hid the knowledge of Yukina from most everyone. Salvatore had been his only real ally through out it all. _And now he has gone missing. _Hiei silently made a note to himself to seek out the eldest wolf with his jagan when his head was clearer.

Avidan ambled over and sat at the end of the bar. Vaislen smirked as he pulled out a few more small glasses after Cookie fluttered by and landed on his shoulder. "Care to learn a game?"

* * *

Jen didn't know how much time had passed, but she assumed it was getting close to dawn as everyone started to take their leave to their designated rooms. With a stretch, she glanced around the room to look for Hiei, raising an eyebrow when she found him. He was at the end of the bar with Vaislen, Avidan, and Cookie, playing a drinking game with the two wolves that Avidan had created. It was similar to the human drinking game called "Boxing" but there was no thirty-second break in between and more than two people could play at once.

In short, each player rolls a die. The person who rolls the lowest number takes the number of shots as there are people, minus one. For instance, in this game of three people, the lowest roller takes two shots. The second lowest takes one less shot, in this case, one, and so on until the highest roller is reached, in which he drinks nothing.

There's also a level of 'paper, rock, scissors' involved that deals another shot. You must have your choice of paper, rock, or scissors before the dice stop moving. In the event of a tie, a short rhyme must be said. The players must say this rhyme as quickly, but correctly as they can. The slowest person must drink, and any mistakes result in a shot as well. The rhyme is as follows:

"Betty Botter had some butter.

'But,' she said, 'this butter's bitter.

If I bake this bitter butter, it would make my batter bitter.

But a bit of better butter-that would make my batter better.'

So she bought a bit of butter, better than her bitter butter,

and she baked it in her batter, and the batter was not bitter.

So it was better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter."

Failure was nearly inevitable.

With a small laugh, Jen walked towards the group, stiffling her laughter as the three men tried to fumble through the tongue-twister with slurred words before giving up, all three taking a shot.

Cookie would then fly in with the bottle, refilling all the shot glasses as they rolled the dice and chose their weapon for 'paper, rock, scissors.' Each one had four shot glasses by them. Jen sat down next to Hiei, who was now standing with Vaislen as Avidan jumped up and wrapped an arm around Jen. "Jenny! Come to get your ass kicked by the best?"

Jen snorted, pushing Avidan away. "Avi, you lot couldn't beat me if your lives depended on it," she said laughing.

"I take that as a challenge. Cookie, five shots for Jen and one more for each of us," Avidan exclaimed taking his place back on the other side of Hiei. Jen swung herself up to sit on the bar with her legs folded neatly beside her, to the side of Hiei and Vaislen and facing Avidan, who was sitting on the end.

Hiei took his seat as Vaislen pulled out another die and eight shot glasses total, which Cookie filled up quickly and the game started.

Three hours later, and the sun definitely coming up, Jen was definitely a little more fuzzy, but the best off of the four of them. About an hour ago, they resorted to just trying to say the rhyme correctly, ditching the rest of the game.

Jen laid back and stretched out on the bar, feeling rather splendid as she listened to Hiei and Vaislen still attempting the rhyme. Avidan had passed out sprawled out on the closest table a few minutes ago. Vaislen finally gave up and bade them goodnight, Cookie helping him towards the correct room. Jen watched as Hiei stood and stumbled a little. She jumped up and caught him as he nearly crashed into the barstools and decided it would be best to help him to his room.

Though he voiced his disagreement in needing help, he made no move to push her away. As they walked, he mumbled to himself, Jen barely able to make out what he was saying. Something about not choosing to be cursed and wanting nothing but a simple, quiet life as of late. Apparently, that's a big reason why he had refused Mukuro; That and she was a "dominating, spiteful bitch," as he put it.

The man had never known kindness or a tender touch, except from his sister, and an occasional act of trust from one of the members of the team. Though it was entirely too much information, Hiei told of how Mukuro would bring him just to the edge of an orgasm and then kick him out of her bedroom, claiming he hadn't pleased her enough to deserve it. _What a selfish bitch,_ she thought to herself. Not to mention how big of a blow to Hiei's ego it must have been to be the one dominated with nothing but spite and disrespect as a reward for submitting.

Mukuro had disgusted her before, but knowing how she treated even the closest to her made her even sicker. With a sigh, they reached his room and she helped Hiei into his bed.

Pulling back the covers, she helped him out of his shoes and shirt. She started to pull up the covers as he started pulling at his pants, fumbling with the belt. "I don't sleep with clothes on. It is too uncomfortable," he growled as his frustration rose while trying to undo his belt.

With a slight blush, Jen helped him out of his pants, trying her best to ignore the rather large member that was hardened between his legs. Hiei sighed in frustration as he grabbed at it, Jen squeaking in embarrassment before turning to leave. His hand caught her wrist. "Please don't leave me," he said and Jen's eyes widened.

His tone had been soft, a quiet plead that she doubted would have even come out of his mouth, had he not had as much to drink as he had. Jen wanted to show him what it was like to be treated with kindness and tenderness; For someone to give to him without expecting anything in return for once.

With a note of determination and courage, some of which she figured came from the alcohol, Jen turned as Hiei sat up. She reached out and cupped his cheek, his tenseness was still there, but it had lessened to a degree.

Jen leaned forward and kissed him, the kiss he returned border-line ferral and barely restrained. She slowly pushed him back onto the bed. He started to object to being submissive but Jen moved her lips to kiss him just below his ear before whispering. "Trust me."

Reluctantly, Hiei relaxed as Jen continued to trail kisses down his neck, licking and nibbling gently as she worked her way along his collar bone before moving down his chest. She glanced up to see his eyes closed, his brow twitching slightly each time she found a sensitive spot.

Jen took her time exploring his chest and stomach before she nipped lightly at his hip bone, her hand wrapping around his manhood. With a sharp intake of breath, Hiei shot up and grabbed her wrist. "Woman, I am in no mood for teasing. If that is all you are going to do, then get out."

Her anger rose at his words but she forced herself to calm. _He is going to react that way. It is all he has ever known. _With a sigh, Jen kept her hand on his member and placed her other on his chest, kissing him softly before speaking. "I am not here to tease you, Hiei. Trust me and let me show you what I intend to do."

She pushed against his chest a little and he reluctantly laid back down, his eyes closing in pleasure again as she stroked him softly. Jen lowered her head and kissed his tip, his eyes flying open to look down at her. With a wicked smile, she took his tip into her mouth, swirling her tongue around him as a small groan of pleasure escaped his lips.

She began a steady rhythm with her mouth and hands as Hiei closed his eyes again, laying his head back against the pillows. He arched his back slightly from time to time as his groans grew intensified. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was insane, especially for doing this in the state of mind they were in, but she wanted to do this for him. She wanted to give something to him selflessly, not demanding anything from him in return; A gift.

She refocused as she felt him swell slightly in her mouth and his hand burried itself deep in her hair. He held her there as he came, causing her to swallow the warm liquid. The taste was, well, terrible, but she kept it to herself as his breathing slowed. With a groan, he cracked his eyes open.

Jen intended to leave at that moment, but Hiei pulled her up as he rolled onto his side and held her close to him, her back against his chest. He mumbled something about her not going anywhere as he pulled the covers over him and burried his face in her hair. Before she even had a chance to respond, he was out cold.

Jen smiled a little to herself. She supposed between the drinking and the orgasm, it was inevitable that he would be out so quickly. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes, letting his warmth sink into her skin and sleep over-take her.

* * *

_A/N~ :D Seee~ Steamy :) anyway...tomorrow morning won't be so fun, but at least tonight was :D The group will be getting some more action soon too, so don't worry. :P Peacefulness and focusing on the relationship will be over soon :) More to come_

_Review, PM, Favorite, Stalk, Whatever you fancy._

_Much Love ~Jessa_


	11. Chapter 11

Hiei came awake with the worst pain throbbing in his temple that he had ever experienced; And he had experienced a lot of pain. Last night slowly came to the front of his mind starting with that blasted pixie sending him over to the bar. _Yeah, it had all gone downhill after that._

He had talked with Vaislen for a while before playing some stupid game with him and Avidan. That hadn't been Hiei's brightest idea and telling by the pain in his head, he was going to make the two wolves pay dearly; And Jen.

He froze as the last of the night came back to him and he became aware of the weight and warmth against his side. With a snarl, Hiei pushed her away from him and jumped out of bed, the increased throbbing of pain only fueling his anger more. Jen glanced around confused before looking up at him, eyes widening as she noticed he had no clothes on and she looked down with a blush. "U-Uhm-" she stuttered before he growled at her.

"What the Hell did you do to me?"

She looked up, pain pulling at the sides of her eyes. "You don't remember?"

With a growl, he lunged, pulling her up and pushing her against the wall by her throat. "Of course I remember, you did something to me so that I would allow it."

Her eyes widened a little before they narrowed and he felt her anger rise to meet his. "I didn't do shit to you. You did all of that yourself. If you want something to blame, blame the damn alcohol, but don't you Dare accuse me of doing Anything but giving you something freely."

Jen went to move away but his grip tightened around her throat, her energy snapped around them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered one of the bandits who raised him telling him to never corner a wolf-demon, or most any demon related to a predatory animal, but he hardly cared at this point. Jen didn't even know how to control her energy anyway. The worst she could do to him was scratch him with her claws.

Pulling out of those thoughts, he contemplated what she said._ Giving me something freely?_ "Why?"

Jen huffed, continuing to push against him before meeting his glare evenly. "Because everyone deserves to experience being cared for. Even selfish, jaded, stubborn assholes like you."

She punctuated the end of her statement by slamming her hands against his chest in anger, the energy crackling around them stinging his chest. Between being stunned by what she said and not expecting her to really do much damage to him, he wasn't prepared and she actually pushed him back and broke out of his hold and left through the window beside them.

Now alone in his room, he became aware of the pain in his head again and the slight stinging sensation that remained where she had hit him. The woman really did have a great deal of power, but it was useless because she had no idea how to use it.

With a growl, he slammed his fist into the wall. Not hard enough to damage it, but enough to feel the slightest bit of relief so he could take a shower instead of going after her to beat the hell out of her for how she made him feel.

He sighed slightly as the hot water tumbled over his shoulders, releasing a small amount of tension. After washing up and feeling slightly better from the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and used his energy to dry his hair as he walked out of the bathroom.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Leta, her blue etheral form sitting cross-legged on his bed, bouncing up and down slightly. _Great, just what I need._

"Why so frazzled, boo," she asked with a sing-songy voice.

What did she just call him? He shook his head slightly and mumbled. "Nothing."

Leta laughed softly as Hiei made his way to the closet to grab his clothes. "You can't lie to me, Hiei. I know what's in your heart."

He turned and nearly crashed through Leta, floating in front of him at eye-level. She placed her hand over his heart. His eyes widened as that warm feeling returned to his chest. "Unfortunately, I don't think you know what's in your heart."

She dropped her hand but remained infront of him as she spoke. "I can't stay long, but I felt I should tell you. The ancestors were not actually happy to find out that Jen-Jen will eventually mate with you in the distant future. I get the feeling that they are doing this to try to push the two of you apart. Both of you need to be careful."

Hiei arched a skeptical brow. "If the ancestors are not happy with it, then why are you going against them?"

Leta looked down in sadness. "I had always wished I had the courage my sister did. She always stood up for what she believed in, no matter what everyone else said or did. Even when she felt completely alone, she held her head up and didn't give in."

She smiled sadly. "Even when she was wrong, she didn't give in," she continued as she looked up at him, sadness in her eyes. "When I died, I had been so scared, I couldn't even move. Even though I could hear voices telling me to run, I just fell down and closed my eyes, crying; Waiting for the nightmare to be over."

Leta sighed as she turned away. "Jen-Jen wouldn't have done that. She would have fought with everything she had until they stole her final breath from her." She turned back to him with a small glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I guess I'm just trying to stand up for the right thing for once."

Hiei was slightly taken back by the young girl's story. Despite being six, she seemed to hold a great deal more of wisdom since she died. "How do you know that this is what is right," he asked.

Leta smiled as she floated back over to him. "Because I like to think that you are good for my Jen-Jen. You make her feel happy even when she should be sad. You give her strength when hers fails. You make her think about more than just herself too."

_And I just kicked her out of my room for trying to do something for me._ Hiei sighed and turned away. "I highly doubt that any of that is my doing."

Leta giggled, which caused him to turn and look at her questioningly. "You will see for yourself. But don't let the council push the two of you into anything. They may try to drive you apart by pushing you into something too quickly. Both you and Jen-Jen need time to understand just what it is you feel for each other. Time to develop and to come to terms with it. Do as you would do normally and things will fall into place."

With another giggle, Leta floated forward and wrapped her arms around Hiei's neck. He was a little less shocked by the gesture and warmth it held this time and wrapped an arm around her tiny figure before she disappeared and there was nothing but air in front of him. _I don't think I will ever get used to that,_ he thought to himself with a sigh and dressed.

After a few moments, there was a knock on his door. With a frown Hiei opened the door to find Kurama at his door, looking a little more worried than normal. "Hiei, have you seen Jen?"

With an arched brow Hiei responded. "Why would I know where the she-wolf is?"

Kurama tensed a little and Hiei sensed the fox getting a little agitated. "Because she spent the night in your room before she disappeared a little while ago."

Though his voice had remained calm, Hiei could tell the fox's patience was wearing thin. "Hn. I don't know where she went after she left," he said, answering him honestly.

Kurama sighed, staring out the window. "Did anything happen between you two?"

"Hn. I don't believe that is any of your business, Fox."

Clearly used to this type of response, Kurama nodded slightly and turned to leave.

Hiei wordlessly followed him out to where the rest were gathered, shifting anxiously as they discussed a possible search party for the princess.

Vaislen's voice came out from the corner. "There is no reason to send out a search party. Jen has gone after her mother."

Everyone turned to him and Yusuke tilted his head to the side. "How do you know that is what she did?"

Vaislen arched a brow. "Logic," he said simply and continued after a pause. "That and she stopped by before she left to let me know."

Avidan frowned. "Why would she tell you and not any of us?"

Kurama sighed. "Probably because she knew Vaislen would be the only one who wouldn't try to stop her."

The room shifted uncomfortably. Yusuke shook his head. "We have to go after her."

The wolves seemed uneasy about that idea. "Jen can handle herself," Vaislen finally said.

Yusuke huffed. "I have seen Mukuro's lands. She keeps that place pretty well staffed with guards. She will be lucky if she makes it past the gate alive."

Vaislen shook his head slightly. "They will keep her alive. They will even deliver her straight to her mother. Carlotta has been waiting for Jen to finally show up for a long time. It is why they sent Makya and Terrance back so brutally beaten. Mukuro and Carlotta want to draw Jen out to attack them out of anger. And now she is going to do just that."

Hiei flinched. Jen was walking right into their trap, and if he knew anything about his ruthless boss, it was that her torture for the she-wolf would not be light. Deep in thought, he hadn't noticed Yusuke approach him.

Without warning, he grabbed Hiei up by the front of the shirt. "Listen to me, Hiei. If you even think about telling Mukuro that Jen is coming, I swear I will beat the Hell out of you and-"

Vaislen cut him off. "Hiei didn't notify Mukuro."

Yusuke looked at Vaislen with wide-eyes, and Hiei assumed he had the same look on his face. "How do you know," Yusuke asked.

"Just a feeling about the guy, I guess," he said, with a smirk to Hiei.

Yusuke let him go with a huff. "Come on, we need to go."

Kurama and Kuwabara nodded and Hiei simply turned and walked away. "Don't get killed. I'd hate to have to tell Mukuro that I had to kill all her men because they pissed me off," Hiei said as he walked.

"What's that supp-" Yusuke cut off Kuwabara.

* * *

Yusuke wasn't entirely sure what surprised him more. The fact that Hiei hadn't told Mukuro about the coming attack, or that he actually told them to not get killed. With a smile, Yusuke left to prepare. Hiei had changed so much, and it seemed he was only changing more.

He still couldn't figure out how Jen had managed to spend two nights now with the fire demon over the months they had been there. He shook his head and focused on the task at hand as he met up with Kuwabara and Kurama at the gate. He figured Hiei was somewhere in the distance, and he didn't doubt he was on his way to Mukuro's as well.

At the gate, Koenma actually appeared. He seemed a little annoyed so Yusuke didn't push it too much. Without a word he created a portal and Yusuke frowned. Finally, the Prince spoke. "I'm supposed to give you a portal straight to Mukuro's lands."

Yusuke's frown increased. "By who? And Why?"

Koenma sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell you and because Jen needs your help. No doubt Hiei has already created his own portal with the device Mukuro gave him to enter her lands. You need to hurry."

Not wasting anymore time, Yusuke waved a thanks to Koenma and jumped in, Kurama and Kuwabara close behind.

* * *

Jen came awake slowly, her entire body throbbing. On high alert, Jen cracked her eyes open, looking around without moving as she tried to figure out where she was. Chains were wrapped around her arms and neck and secured to the ground. Based on the look of the length, Jen assumed she couldn't manage much more than a crouch. The chains were too short to allow her to stand.

With a growl, she sat up, the increase in pain pulsing through her body as she moved. Slowly, everything came back to her. She had arrived at Mukuro's only to find there were no guards and the door was wide open. She had been cautious, but not enough as thousands of demons swarmed on her.

The first few waves had gone okay, but the demons kept getting up, becoming stronger than before. It wasn't long after that, that Jen had been beaten down and she blacked out. Apparently, death hadn't been what was in store for her.

A door off to the side opened and two demons came in. She growled as they got closer. Not paying much attention to her, one started to pick up the chains. With the chains in hand, he pulled on them, Jen getting ready to lunge before freezing instantly. The crack of electricity sang through the air as the other demon waved an electrical rod in front of her in warning. With another growl, she got up and followed them.

It seemed they led her to a throne room of sorts, where Mukuro was waiting, lounging in a large chair. Carlotta was standing next to her, a rather smug look on her face. With a snarl, Jen launched after Carlotta but the chains yanked her back and slammed her into the ground.

Mukuro watched as the two demons attached the chains to the ground again and stepped back. "So you are what my little fire demon has been keeping himself busy with. To think he actually disobeys me for you."

Jen growled. "Hiei had no idea that I was coming. He didn't disobey."

Mukuro laughed low in her throat. "No, but he withheld details on the last attack when you sent those two mutts to me and has been ignoring my summons since. His scent is all over you too."

Jen's eyes widened. _Had he really done that? _It was then that Carlotta stepped forward, a look of sadness in her eyes. "I had such high hopes for you, Jenista. Why couldn't you have just done what you were told?"

Jen bit down on her snarl, waiting for Carlotta to get close enough. Once she did, she lashed her hand out, putting three distinct and deep cuts across Carlotta's cheek. With a shriek, Carlotta hit Jen across the face, sending her flying as far as the chains would allow. There was a growl in the corner. "Let her go, Mukuro," Hiei spoke from where the growl had come.

_ When the Hell did he get here? _"I am pleased to see you finally answered my summons, Hiei. I was beginning to think I would need to find another to replace you and have you killed. Though it seems I still have to," she said.

Her voice seemed a little sad at the end, but otherwise held no emotion. "But enough. Guards, seize him."

Two guards appeared near Hiei and he fought against them, but as they did before, they only got stronger until they were able to restrain Hiei and brought him to stand beside Jen. "Put him on the wall. I would like for them to see each other tortured. I would like you to find Yukina for me as well. She will most likely be in Aerisia. Bring her to me."

The two guards chained Hiei to the wall across from Jen before nodding and disappearing from the room. Hiei snarled and fought against the chains. "Don't touch her," he spoke with such ferrosity that it caused Jen to shiver slightly.

Mukuro seemed unphased as she laughed. "Don't worry. Yukina won't be here for a while."

Mukuro formed an orb of energy on her finger tip and touched it to Hiei's cheek. Hiei tensed slightly, but gave no other hint that he had been in pain. With a huff, Mukuro turned and threw the orb at Jen.

The highly concentrated blast of energy burned into Jen's side. She hissed in pain. Mukuro tilted her head thoughtfully as she looked between the two. "I suppose neither of you are really going to break under physical pain, are you?"

It was then that Carlotta stepped forward. "Let me give Jenista a try. I'm sure I can pull a few screams out of her."

Jen scoffed. "What makes you think you could do anything that the guards could not?"

Carlotta only raised an eyebrow. "Bring out Asher."

Jen froze, looking up at her mother with wide eyes as a guard brought in her younger brother. His body was bruised and bloodied from several beatings and Jen's vision dimmed as she snarled at Carlotta, pulling against the chains even harder. Without flinching Carlotta stared at Jen with emotionless eyes. "Kill him."

With a scream, Jen pulled even harder against the chains, her energy snapping through out the room as the guard pulled a knife and held it to Asher's throat. It was then that Carlotta stepped forward and buried a knife to its hilt into Jen's chest. Pain seized her entire body as she felt her strength quickly dropping. She heard Hiei snarl, yelling out in anger, but everything sounded distant. She could hear Mukuro curse foully at Carlotta, saying something about creating another Venatore.

Without warning, a massive power flooded the room, a black blur moving faster than she could track shot through the room, killing all but one guard. The blur stopped behind Mukuro and she seemed to freeze entirely. Jen tried to focus on the man standing behind Mukuro, but couldn't quite make him out. "Release them, Mukuro."

Jen recognized his voice but couldn't quite place it. Carlotta shrieked and started to move towards Mukuro, but she threw her hand out, causing Carlotta to fly across the room and land in the corner unconscious. "You heard him. Release them, now."

Jen vaguely felt the chains retracting from around her wrists and neck. After a few moments, she saw Hiei knelt in front of her. His face was blurred slightly as he turned her over, and she could swear she saw a look of concern in his eyes. "Asher," she managed to force out. "Get Asher."

He nodded slightly and left from her vision. A distant crash sounded and she could hear several people enter the room. Despite everything, Jen forced herself to focus on the man who had come to their rescue. Dressed entirely in black with sunglasses covering his eyes, Jen's breath caught in her throat.

_Salvatore._

Only it wasn't Salvatore. He was different. His energy was darker, more menacing, and black tribal markings covered the left side of his face. _He is part of the Venatore now._ _A hunter._ And that meant only one thing. Salvatore had died. That being the last thought in her mind, Jen slipped into the blackness.

* * *

Yusuke cursed as he looked down at Jen, the hilt of a dagger still protruding from the center of her chest. "We need to get her back to Aerisia for Genkai and Yukina to heal her," he said as he looked around. His eyes widened on the man behind Mukuro. He looked just like Salvatore, only black markings covered the entire left side of his face and his energy sent a shiver down his spine. It was like a void of energy that surrounded him, as if his life force was gone completely.

Yet there he stood, alive and stronger than ever. When he spoke, it made Yusuke jump a little. "You need to hurry, Yusuke. If Jen turns up like me, you are going to be the first I come after in vengence."

Hiei picked Jen up without a word and threw a small token at the ground, a portal forming in front of them as he jumped in with Jen. Kuwabara and Kurama wordlessly followed. Yusuke turned to Salvatore, who was walking towards Asher. In the middle of everything, Asher had fallen unconscious. With a sigh, Salvatore picked him up and walked towards Yusuke and the portal. "You are coming back with us, right?"

Salvatore only nodded silently. Yusuke jumped into the portal himself, Salvatore following close behind.

* * *

_A/N~ So, next chapter is here :) I actually kinda ended up doing the same thing that I had with chapters 3/4. so chapter 12 is nearly finished. I'm just working on the end of it now, with a little bit of fluff at the end :3_

_By the way, I will be using a concept from another author for what Salvatore is. Anyone who has read Sherrilyn Kenyon will know exactly what I am talking about next chapter._

_I am also setting up for a second story for Yusuke and an OC that occurs in the same story-line but I will be writing it in full as separate story on FF, as soon as I figure out just what to call it. But, there will be a little bit of a start to that in the next chapter, so just a heads up :P_

_Reviews always appreciated_

_Much love ~Jessa_


	12. Chapter 12 Update

_Ooooh~ A/N BEFORE we start :o...anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know I'm taking down chapters and editting them. I realized I've been spelling "Vaislen" two different ways (same character, my spelling for his name just varies sometimes lol.)_

_I also realized Entirely too late that I introduce a new character named Stenton when I kind of already have the King's name as Stenton ^^' oops~ anyway, since I really can't see this new character named anything But Stenton, I'm renaming the King to Kravyn, which is my usual "King Name" for stories I write, no idea why I didn't use it initially.._

_Anyway, enjoy :)_

_Ooooh~ also, going to probably be starting Yusuke's story, I think I am going to start it based before this story happened. Really get a feel for what happened with Keiko and the grief following it. So I will probably be retelling this story from Yusuke's perspective and what he's thinking and feeling through all of this. Which means it is going to be loooong~ .' The others won't really need a prequel of sorts, but I feel Yusuke's story needs one, in order to get the whole Keiko situation settled._

_That being said, I usually like KeikoxYusuke, it is a sweet story of true love and when I play with story ideas, I always have them together, but this time, I don't know. I guess I just want to try something new and take a different direction than I normally do. HOPEFULLY, you enjoy it._

_~Jessa_

_Update after editing: It is all done :D Just switching out all the chapters now :) Also, I have finally decided that Yusuke's story will start after Blood Ties and its eventually sequel based specifically on Jen and Hiei (Yes, they get two stories :3) This chapter is going to kind of set up for Yusuke's story, so just a heads up, there is a little Yusukeness in this chapter._

* * *

Yusuke came through to find Jen on the floor with the dagger removed and Yukina kneeling over her to heal her. Hiei was off to the side with his eyes closed seeming to be reigning in control but Yusuke could tell his friend was a mess. There was a small scratch on Yukina's cheek and a few of the wolves looked a little beaten up, Vaislen holding the most damage. Hiei's energy was all over the place, and it seemed he was barely able to hold himself together as he opened his eyes to watch Yukina heal Jen.

"What happened," Yusuke asked, turning to Vaislen.

"Couple demons appeared and tried to take Yukina. We beat them off and chased them away."

Yusuke's eyes widened. They came after Yukina? He looked over to Hiei, who seemed to be having an even harder time keeping himself under control, his eyes stricken with worry. _That means Mukuro knows about Yukina._ Yusuke sighed and rubbed his face as he looked back to see Salvatore setting Asher down. The entire room was silent as everyone looked at him.

Jettalynn walked forward slowly, looking up at Salvatore. "What happened to you, love?"

Her face was full of sadness as she cupped Salvatore's cheek. He lowered his head and nuzzled his cheek to her hand gently. "I went after Carlotta and was captured. Last I had seen was Asher being beaten to death before they killed me."

Yusuke frowned. "So, you are dead?"

Salvatore smirked slightly. "In a way. My younger siblings always told me I was a souless bastard, I guess now they are right."

Avidan shook his head as he walked forward to pat Salvatore on the shoulder, relief in his eyes. "I always knew you were too tough to even let death take you. Never knew you would go the whole Venatore route though."

Yusuke's frown intensified. "Vena-what?"

Salvatore turned his attention to Yusuke. "Venatore. When someone, human or demon, dies a wrongful death, their soul lets out a scream of vengence. Some are so loud, they shake the halls of the Northern kingdom in the Makai. Through an agreement with Koenma, Enki, King of the Makai, approaches these individuals with a choice. Either they can cross the river Styx and move on to their after-life, or they can trade their soul and spend eternity serving in the Venatore, fighting against those who choose to continue to hunt humans."

Yusuke tilted his head to the side. "So, you really are undead, huh?"

Salvatore laughed quietly. "Something like that."

Yusuke turned his attention to the corner of the room where two energies with a similar void-feeling appeared. His eyes widened as a woman, nearly as tall as he was, and a man, even taller than Kuwabara stepped forward. Both had the same black markings that covered the left side of their faces. The woman's black hair was tied into a tight braid that fell nearly to her hip and her entire body seemed to be covered with weapons. Dressed entirely in black, she wore boots, tight black jeans, a black tank top and a black leather jacket. In addition, she also wore sunglasses. The only color on her was the gleam of silver from her various blades.

The man was dressed similarly, his long black hair fell straight to the middle of his chest. His arms were crossed as a single brow raised over the sun glasses all three wore that kept his eyes concealed.

"I knew it wouldn't be long before you started blabbing about everything, Salv," he said with a slight smirk.

Salvatore smirked back an held his arms up. "When you look this bad ass, how can you not?"

Humor was in his voice and the woman laughed quietly. "Go figure, you would find the group that had someone that we couldn't wipe their memory."

Her voice was mesmerizing, the lilt of an unplaceable accent thick in her words. Christ, he had to focus on thinking straight when she spoke. It was a low lyrical sound, her words seeming thick in her throat. Yusuke shook his head and he frowned at the woman. "What do you mean?"

Her brow arched in a similar fashion to the male's as she stared at him for a long moment. _At least I think she's staring at me._ A shiver went over him before she spoke. "The fire demon's mental barriers are too strong to penatrate. We cannot wipe his memory. Wiping everyone else's would be a waste at that point, considering he could just tell you about it all."

_Don't stop talking._ Yusuke frowned as he bit down on his tongue to keep from saying exactly what he thought. He hadn't thought about another woman since-. He flinched; Since Keiko.

After he had returned from the Makai, she had been happy, but something was different. She had refused to talk about anything relating to his demon side or his trip to the Makai, to the point she had gotten furious everytime he tried to push it. In one particular argument, when he had told her that he wanted to share this part of him with her, she had said something that he would never forget.

_I don't want to know that part of you, Yusuke. I don't want to know about the side of you that is evil and ruthless. _

Those words had stung him to his core. Keiko believed he was evil. Not because of his actions, nor who he was; But because he was part demon.

_I can't do this anymore, Yusuke. I'm sorry. _

Just like that, the one woman he had loved more than life itself, turned her back on him.

Koenma had approached him shortly there-after, telling him that it would be a good idea to erase Keiko's memory. Something in her had fractured over the years, from what Koenma said, and it had started at the Dark Tournament. As things went on, it only got worse and would continue to get worse unless Keiko didn't remember that any of this had ever happened.

Reluctantly, Yusuke agreed. In the end, he wanted her to be happy and care-free more than anything.

Shaking himself from his thoughts he returned to the group in front of him. "Well then, I didn't know Enki had done so much to enforce the no-hunting-humans law. Good on him."

Attention shifted to Yukina as she sighed quietly. "I have done everything I can do. I hope it is enough."

She began to stand but faltered slightly and Hiei and Kuwabara both jumped forward to catch her. Without a word, Kuwabara picked her up and carried her away, Hiei for once not objecting, but still glaring at the back of his head before he turned his attention to Jen, picking her up and carrying her in the same direction. Yusuke assumed to her room so she could rest. Neither returned.

Yusuke sighed as he noticed Koenma was still standing there. "So are these the guys that had you create a portal, Koenma?"

Koenma tensed slightly before shaking his head. "No."

The woman then turned her head to Koenma, her eye brows pulling into a frown. "Someone had you make a portal?"

Koenma only nodded, visably more uneasy. Salvatore frowned. "Who?"

Koenma sighed and shook his head. "I'm not supposed to say-"

The woman stepped towards Koenma. "Koenma, don't make me-"

A new voice cut her off and Koenma flinched slightly "There will be no need for that, Blythe."

The voice was female, and Yusuke looked behind Koenma to see two forms, one male, one female, dressed in black as well, but black motorcycle helmets covered their heads. "Man, what is with everyone just popping in all of the sudden," Yusuke growled, not entirely pleased that there were now four people who had entered the room and he hadn't even sensed them right away.

In fact, he still couldn't sense the two who had just arrived. He looked around to see most of the wolves, and even Kurama stunned. He was staring at the two new comers in shock, slight fear playing in his eyes. Yusuke leaned over to Kurama. "Who are these guys anyway?"

"Pontifex Mortis," he said quietly.

Yusuke frowned again. "What?"

The male new-comer spoke up as he pulled off his helmet. His blonde hair fell in a braid to the middle of his back and sunglasses also covered his eyes._ A little redundant to wear sunglasses under a helmet, isn't it? _ "Pontifex Mortis," he said, interrupting Yusuke's thoughts. "The High Priests of Death."

Yusuke arched a brow. "Ooooh, sounds scary," he said, his voice flat and unamused.

The entire room seemed to flinch but the female Venatore, that if Yusuke remembered correctly was named Blythe, laughed. "He has some attitude to him. I like your spirit detective, Koenma."

Koenma sighed and shook his head. "I'm sure he wouldn't be so sarcastic if he knew what the Pontifex Mortis was capable of."

Yusuke laughed and looked at Koenma. "You should know better, toddler. Nothin' gets rid of this attitude."

Koenma was a little more annoyed, but turned to the new comers. "I did what you asked. Why are you here?"

His voice had been full of suspision and unease. The female walked forward and stood in front of Kurama. Unmoving for several moments, she finally lifted a gloved hand to Kurama's chin, who remained unmoving, his face a careful mask of no emotions. "You are not what you seem," the woman said simply.

Kurama's eyes widened slightly before she released his chin and he shook his head. "I am not."

The woman tilted her head to the side. "Interesting."

Without another word, she returned to the male's side, giving Yusuke a glimpse of the traditional Grim Reaper, hooded in black on the back of her jacket. The arch of a scythe was over the reaper, the handle crossing behind its back. "You know the Grim Reaper actually wears pink and carries an oar instead of a scythe, but it's her perky attitude that is her real weapon," Yusuke said and he saw the male's lips twitch into the slightest smile but he gave no response to what Yusuke had said.

"We are here to inform you that the Assassin's League was given hits on all of the wolf-demons this morning. In addition, any and all found as allies to the wolves are to be terminated as well," male spoke in an emotionless tone. "My name is Nykairren and the woman beside me is Selene. The Pontifex Mortis has been ordered to aid against the League."

Blythe seemed surprised. "What an odd turn of events. In addition, the Venatores had also been ordered to give their aid to the wolves, but Enki hadn't told us the Assassin's League was after them. Things just got a little more interesting, aye, Stenton?"

She turned to the male Venatore, which Yusuke guessed was Stenton and he nodded slightly. "Salvatore, we wish to speak with you in private," Stenton said before both him and Blythe left outside, Salvatore following closely behind.

Yusuke watched as Nykairren and Selene both left the room in separate directions, Koenma mumbling something about securing the parameter before he disappeared from the room. He turned to see Kurama still shocked and unmoving and he waved a hand infront of his friend. "You alive in there, Kurama?"

Seeming to shake himself from his daze his smiled at Yusuke, nodding. "Good. I don't suppose you could tell me anything about these 'high priests of death,' could you?"

Kurama nodded slightly and motioned for them to sit down at the table so he could begin.

* * *

Hiei sat at the edge of Jen's bed for a long time. He listened carefully to her heart beat that was weaker than normal. He blew out a long sigh, telling himself he should get up and leave, but everytime he tried, he couldn't bring himself to it.

He studied her face silently, his attention drawing once again to the small scar on her cheekbone. More interested than he had been on the day he met her, he reached out and ran a finger over the light scar. A female voice from the door startled him and he pulled his hand away, moving it to his sword.

"So, the male twin does live. The league of assassins actually do fail at tracking. How interesting."

Hiei glared at the woman dressed head-to-toe in black with some kind of black helmet covering her head. "Who are you," he growled, particularly angered that he still couldn't sense the woman's energy.

"I was the assassin who was ordered to kill the twin hybrids. The powers that be felt their quickly growing power would become a threat. The male twin had made quite a name for himself in the Makai, quickly becoming one of the most feared bandits, while the female twin was all but unheard of after disappearing from the floating island."

Hiei watched her carefully as she leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed before she continued. "It wasn't long after that, that the male twin disappeared as well. I was able to track the female, coming across a few demons who had been stalking her along the way. Not wanting any interference, I killed them, sustaining mild injuries."

"When I approached the female hybrid, she had ran to me with concern. Completely unaware that I was there to kill her, she healed my injuries without question nor suspision. Her innocence and pure heart made me question the league of assassins' motives for the first time in my life. It wasn't long after that, that I discovered the assassin's league worked for whoever the highest bidder was, not necessarily to take out those who were guilty and deserved death. Shortly after that, Nykairren approached me. I had heard rumors about the Pontifex Mortis and was pleased to find he was offering me a way out of the assassin's league."

Hiei said nothing as he returned his gaze to Jen, who had shifted slightly in her sleep. He focused on her breathing and heart beat once again, making sure nothing had changed. "You care for her, don't you," the woman asked as she walked forward.

"Hn."

The woman came to stand beside Hiei. "I see much in her future. She will have her legacy, but not in the manner that she believes she will. Take care of her."

Without another word, the woman reached her hand out, a soft white surrounding it as she held it to Jen's chest before disappearing.

Her heart beat grew stronger with every second and Hiei sat back down on the edge of the bed. _So, the high priests of death are here. Things must have gotten worse._

Pushing the thought of the woman out of his mind, he returned to studying Jen. His hand reached out to trace the scar again before his fingers slid into her hair. Mesmerized, he couldn't get over just how soft her hair was.

Jen's eyes slowly opened and Hiei froze, finding himself in the position he had been in over three months ago. He started to pull away but Jen caught his hand before he could leave. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hn."

Strangely, the sound came out softer than normal, but dismissed it as she nuzzled his hand with her cheek with a small smile. The gesture seemed to send warmth through his body. "I am sorry for last night. I shouldn't have done that while we were both out of our normal state of minds."

"Hn. Do not apologize, onna," he said quietly, looking away. "I should be the one apologizing."

His voice was even quieter than before, and it almost stunned him that he was apologizing. Jen's eyes widened slightly as she sat up, keeping hold on his hand. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and found her smiling slightly. "Either way, next time, we are both going to be stone-cold sober."

Hiei's eyes widened as he looked over at her. _Next time?_ Mischief gleamed in Jen's eyes as she leaned against his shoulder, resting her chin on the top of his shoulder to look up at him. She felt good there, Hiei decided, though he was surprised he didn't feel the need to push her away. Physical contact had never sat well with him. He supposed he was getting used to her touching him however.

A peacefulness seemed to wash over him as his thumb stroked the top of her hand idly. He hadn't even realized he was doing it as he stared into Jen's golden eyes for a long time. She raised her free hand to his cheek, which he didn't flinch away from and he saw happiness in her eyes and decided he liked the way she looked when she was happy.

Why it pleased him so much was beyond him, but part of him wanted to do everything he could to make sure she always looked at him like that. He leaned forward kissed her lips gently, the way she had a few nights ago. After a few moments, he pulled back, but not much as he looked into her eyes again. "You should rest."

Jen nodded a little as he stood but she held on the his hand. "Stay with me," she said, almost inaudibly.

Hiei looked down at her, and he caught a small smile playing on his lips. "Hn."

Without another word, she scooted over in bed and he laid down next to her as she curled herself into his side. He wrapped an arm around her possessively as he realized just how tired he had been himself. Mukuro's constant summons had kept him awake almost constantly except for last night. Tonight though, she was silent.

With a light sigh, he turned his attention back to his she-wolf, who had already fallen asleep. He didn't know exactly what he felt for her but he knew one thing; No one would ever harm her so long as there was life in his body. _Ever._

* * *

_A/N~ Yeaah~! Second one out today and it isn't even 6 A.M. yet. Anyway, it might be a little bit before I release the next one. There is a lot of explaining to do in the next one and a lot of fighting and I'll probably be starting on Yusuke's story as well. Eventually, I want to do a story for Kurama, Yukina, Botan, Koenma and even Kuwabara, but it will definitely be a while. That is at least the plan for each of the sequels. Hiei and Jen's story will have a sequel of their own that relates directly to them, but most other sequels will be focused on separate couplings._

_I'm also going to try to work on drawing a cover for the story but we will see. :)_

_Review~ :D I would really appreciate the feed back._

_Much love ~Jessa_.


	13. Chapter 13

Jen came awake slowly to the sensation of fingers stroking her hair. She smiled softly with her eyes still closed as she cuddled into the chest of a very warm fire demon. "I see you are finally awake," he said, his deep voice rumbling through his chest and sending shivers over her.

She opened her eyes to look at Hiei, who was on his back, looking down at her with an arm wrapped around her. He continued to stroke her hair idly and Jen couldn't help but take in his appearance for the hundreth time.

His angular features seemed different this morning, the softness of his face a pleasant change to the usual hardness. His muscles rippled as she swept her gaze over a well-defined chest. Broad shoulders swept down to powerful arms that could protect, comfort, and destroy everything in their path.

His eyes were what held her captive the most though. The crimson red of his eyes seemed to nearly glow as he looked down at her. Jen had learned over the past few months that it was his eyes that were often the only marker of emotion. It seemed like his eyes shifted in the slightest shades of red depending on how he was feeling.

Hiei wasn't exactly pretty. He held a dark handsomeness to him that was lethal; Deadly. It reminded her of the beauty of a predatory animal, like a panther. Sleek and inviting, part of you yearned to reach out and touch it. To know what its fur would feel like under your fingers, but a more logical side reminded you that it was just as likely to tear you apart as it was to accept your touch.

Yet here she was, enveloped in her fire demon's presence as he allowed her to touch his cheek softly. There was something that seemed different about him, like he had accepted that they were together; That she was his and he was hers. It was odd and uncharacteristic for him, but she wasn't about to complain. Perhaps he was learning what it was to care and be cared for.

He arched a brow as their eyes remained locked. "What are you so deep in thought about," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

She sat up and stretched a little before turning back to him, leaning over him. "You."

Eyebrows lifted slightly as his eyes widened just a little. "Me?"

Jen touched her nose to his. "Is there anyone else here that I could be talking to?"

He snorted as humor danced in his eyes. "For all I know, you could have an imaginary friend that you are talking to."

Jen laughed quietly as she kissed him lightly. "Well, incase you didn't know, Mr. Wiggles isn't here and the only one I am talking to is the sexy fire demon who is laying under me."

He wrinked his nose in a frown. "I don't know what I should be more concerned about. This 'Mr. Wiggles' or the fact that you just called me 'sexy.'"

Jen laughed again as his arms came up around her to stroke her back. "Didn't you have an imaginary friend growing up?"

Hiei nodded. "He didn't a name though, and he was the only one I let watch my back when I was a child."

The sheer seriousness of what he said, despite the nonchalant tone of his voice, threw Jen off. He was telling her something she had a feeling he had told no one before and it simutaineously made her happy and broke her heart. "Didn't you have friends?"

He snorted. "The bandit that raised me told me that friends didn't exist in the world of bandits. The people around you would sooner bury a knife in your back if it meant they would gain a trinket more than what they would gain if they let you live. I was about five when even the bandits shunned me because they became afraid of my bloodlust."

Jen flinched slightly. No one deserved to be so alone. She looked into his eyes to find he seemed confused. "I don't know why I am telling you all of this," he said finally.

Jen nuzzled her head to the side of his neck and she could swear she heard Hiei purr ever-so-slightly. "Because you trust me to not hold it against you. You know I won't look at you differently for it."

"I'm sure you would look at me differently if you knew some of the things I've done," he said quietly.

She could hear something in his voice, but she couldn't quite place what it was. Shame, maybe? Jen shook her head as she rested it on his shoulder. "Your past does not change the way I see you now. Who you are in the present is who I have grown attached to and your past was part of you before I knew about it. Why would who you are change just because I know about something that was a part of you already?"

He raised an eyebrow as she realized just how much that came out as a jumbled mess. "What I am trying to say is-" Hiei cut her off with a light kiss.

"I know what you are saying, onna," he said quietly, a warmth in his voice that sent chills over her body.

This whole situation seemed surreal. It was like everything was right in the world and it was causing Hiei's rare soft side to show through. He was sharing information about himself with her, holding her, and he even seemed peaceful. It didn't even feel like she had been knocking on death's door just yesterday. Perhaps it was the near-death experience that put everything in perspective.

Jen leaned down and kissed him again, but this time, his hand slid into her hair, holding her there as he nibbled on her lip. His lips were soft, a stark contrast to the rest of his hard body and calloused hands. Jen groaned as his other hand ran up the length of her back under her shirt. She couldn't believe how good his hands felt on her skin.

Hiei carefully rolled with her so that she was on her back and he was leaning over her. Soft murmurs of pleasure left her lips as his lips trailed down her jaw to play havoc on her neck. Sucking softly on her pulse-point, one of Hiei's hands buried itself in her hair while the other rested against her hip.

Jen arched her back as Hiei continued to torture her, a growl of pleasure reverberating through his chest as her body moved against his. He mumbled quietly against her throat. "I want to give you what you have given me."

A shiver ran over Jen's body as his hand traced over her stomach and up her rib cage. His hand stopped just under her breast as he raised his head to look at her. "Would you let me," he asked, his voice low and husky.

Truthfully, Jen knew asking was just a courtesy. He could do whatever he wanted to her, and she would be helpless to stop it. Most demons wouldn't even think twice about it. It was true that males reveered their mates, but as for the act of choosing a mate? The females had little to no choice.

Yet here he was, asking her for permission to even touch her. Deep down, she knew if she denied him, Hiei would listen and respect her wishes. The fact that he hadn't taken her as his already spoke multitudes to that. Demons didn't really date. They acted more on their first impression and instincts than they did getting to know each other and developing feelings. That could all come after the male had ensured no one would ever come near his female.

So either he was humoring her by sticking around and wasn't truly interested, which something hard pressing against the inside of her thigh told her otherwise, or he was respecting her request to remain unmated until she achieved all that she had set out for. The thought warmed her and caused her to smile softly as she nodded to him.

Surprise gleamed in his eyes, but quickly turned to mischief. "I could make you mine right now, you know," he said as he lowered his head back down to her neck.

His fangs scraped against her skin, as if to emphasize what he was saying. There was something in his voice that spoke for the lethal predator that he was. It was a confidence that would put fear in most anyone who crossed his path. A promise that nothing could stop him, but as she stared up at him, she felt no fear.

Instead she felt warmth. She felt safe and most of all, she felt respected. "I know you could," she said quietly.

"Do you?"

She felt his fangs grow against her skin, like he was getting ready to mark her, but her trust held strong. "I do. I know you are a great deal more powerful than I am. I am completely at your mercy."

The tips of his fangs sank into her skin and she knew it was taking a great deal of self-control to not sink them in the rest of the way as they scraped down her throat. A dark laugh rumbled through his chest. "Afraid?"

"No."

* * *

Hiei had to lift his head to make sure she had really said what she said. Her answer had been so short, he almost wondered if she had actually said it. "What?"

Jen sat up with him, their faces remaining close as her eyes never waivered from his. "I am not afraid, Hiei. I trust you."

He scoffed at that. "You shouldn't."

She raised an eyebrow. "And why not? You've never given me a reason not to trust you."

Pain assailed him as he realized just how unworthy of all of this he was. He wasn't meant to know peace, or joy, or pleasure. At the end of the day, he was just another bandit. _But can you really even consider yourself a bandit anymore? Look at all you have done to protect instead of destroy. Doesn't that redeem Something?_ He scoffed silently at himself. _No good deed goes unpunished. _His inner voice spoke to a hope he had long since banished, but as he stared into Jen's eyes, he found that hope rekindled. He wanted to be something more than just some murderer; For her.

With a sigh, he stroked her cheek with his knuckles. He should leave. This was no place for someone like him. "I'm not trustworthy," he finally said.

Jen scoffed. "Then show me that my trust is misplaced because I don't believe you."

Something about her words triggered something in him; Something angry. He growled and pinned her back to the bed with his hand around her throat as he bared his fangs at her. He tightened his grip around her throat as he looked down at her neck where he would place his mark, just under where his thumb was resting. Out in the open for everyone to see that she had been claimed by a filthy hybrid. _Teach her to trust anyone like you. Bite her. Take her as yours._

Even as the words flowed through his mind, urging him to do exactly what he intended to, his body remained frozen. His eyes raised to hers and he realized just how lost to her he was. Her eyes remained unwaivering with the confidence that she could trust him and despite trying to push himself into biting her, he realized he was no more capable of hurting her than he was capable of growing an extra set of arms. The realization came close to scaring him.

She had power over him. Even though he was strong enough to kill her with barely a passing thought, he couldn't. In the end, it would be him bending to her will. It should piss him off; A lot. Yet as his grip loosened on her throat, he felt his anger dissapate as she raised a hand to his cheek to pull him into a gentle kiss. Yeah, he was one foolish bastard.

That realization fresh on his mind, his hand slid down between her collarbones. He felt her demonic heart beat against his palm just before he shredded the front of her shirt pulling the cloth away. A gasp of surprise came from Jen as he cupped one breast in his hand. Her flesh was softer than anything he'd ever felt as he lowered his head to nuzzle his cheek against her chest.

Hiei took one nipple into his mouth, heat shooting through his body as she arched against him and buried her hand in his hair. He smirked to himself; He was going to enjoy this far more than he probably should.

His hand trailed down to her hip, tracing the edge of her shorts before they too were shredded and tossed over to the pile of ruined cloth next to them. He took a deep breath to reign in his self control as he stared at her body beneath him, completely naked. Her eyes showed a certain vulnerability, and even though he thought she was foolish for even letting herself be this vulnerable to him, deep down, he knew he'd never do anything to forsake that trust; And she knew it too.

He pushed her legs apart with his hand, her gasp followed by a low moan was music to his ears as he stroked her most intimate part. He toyed with the sensitive flesh with his fingertip, watching how her body twitched and shuddered in response.

This was nothing like his time spent with Mukuro. She had been rough, forcing his hand to pleasure her at her pace, like her own personal vibrator. Jen gave him free reign of her body, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to wring every last drop of pleasure out of her until _he _was satified with his work.

He watched attentively as he slid one finger into her slowly, taking pleasure in the way her body wreathed under his touch. As he started a slow rhythm, his thumb moved to stroke the sensitive flesh in time with his strokes.

Jen's scent reached his nose tenfold and it took every ounce of control not to shred his own clothes and bury himself inside her. He forced himself to focus by sliding a second finger in and picking up the pace. Jen's moans and wreathing increased with every second as he kept an unrelenting pace all the way until her walls tightened around his fingers and she cried out his name in pleasure as her orgasm rocked through her. The sound of his name on her lips was almost enough to break the last bit of self control he had. Still, he didn't let up as he continued his merciless pace.

He continued until her third orgasm took her and she whimpered for mercy. Satified, Hiei laid down beside her, content with his work as Jen fought to catch her breath. she turned into him and buried her face in her neck, soft murmurs of pleasure sending little electric pulses through his throat where her lips rested. "Thank you, Hiei," she said quietly after he wrapped an arm around her.

"Hn."

He lifted himself up from the bed carefully and she looked up at him in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"Cold shower," he mumbled as he turned away, undoing his pants that were biting painfully into his erection. Yeah, his body was going to make him pay Hell for not taking her.

"I could-" he cut her off.

"Get some rest, Princess. I'll be back out in a little bit."

The word 'princess' had come off his lips a little softer than he was accustomed to. Usually he would use royal titles in mockery, but this time, it seemed almost endearing. He sighed. _You are getting soft in your old age._

He scoffed at himself as he reached the bathroom and turned the water on and all the way to cold as he ditched his pants completely. Age had nothing to do with it. His body would remain at its prime for at least another twelve hundred years. He would then live out an additional eight hundred years or so after that as his body slowly aged. He wasn't even sure it was possible for a demon to die of old age. He'd seen demons mature, age slowly starting to show in their features, but with how violent demons were, he had never actually heard of a demon dying of natural causes.

He hissed as he stepped into the shower, the cold water biting into his skin as he cursed. No, this wasn't age. This was all Jen's doing. The firey little she-wolf had awoken something in him he believed hadn't even developed in him in the first place. He still didn't understand it. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure he even wanted to understand it. All of it was foreign to him. Things he had told himself he wasn't capable of and didn't want to be capable of anyway. Things he'd banished because of their weakness.

Yet as he stood in the shower, he didn't feel weak. He actually felt stronger than he had been before. He felt like he was invincible, so long as he had Jen to protect. It was as frustrating as it was exhilerating. It caused heat to coarse through his veins.

Right up until a sharp pain grasped his manhood, causing him to growl slightly. Now there was something he knew. The protests of a body left unsated and all the pain of its screaming disappointment. Today was going to be Hell.

After a little while longer under the cold water and he felt like his control had returned to him, he turned off the water and was immediately put off but a quiet sobbing. Panicked, he wrapped a towel around his waist and threw open the door, afraid Jen had come to realize the monster she had welcomed to her bed, but he soon discovered that it wasn't Jen crying.

The blue etheral form of Leta was in Jen's lap with her face against Jen's shoulder. He could hear Jen's gentle soothing coos as Leta's figure shook with the force of her sobs. "I don't know why he is so mad at me, sissy. I don't like it when Daddy is mad. I just wanted to do the right thing."

Anger rose in Hiei as he cursed the deceased wolf king for hurting Leta. He turned back to the bathroom and threw on his pants before drying his hair with his energy and heading out. He sat down at the edge of the bed and his eyes met Jen's. He could see the sadness, the fury, and the pain she felt as she stroked Leta's back. "What happened," he asked quietly.

Leta raised her eyes from Jen's shoulder to look at him. The pain in her usually bright and happy eyes was enough to make him want to find a way to kill Kravyn all over again. She sniffled as she turned in Jen's lap. "Daddy got mad at me for telling you to be careful and he exiled me from the pack in the afterlife," she said, her voice choked from her sobs as tears streamed down her face. "I'm nothing but a lone wandering soul," she whimpered.

"You are never alone, little onna," he said quietly.

She looked up at him and sniffed. She looked up at Jen and Jen smiled warmly. "He's right, little sister. You will never be alone. We will always be there."

She looked back at Hiei, as if looking for further confirmation from him and he hn'd softly with a nod. Leta's smile warmed him as she jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. He patted her back softly and met Jen's eyes again, a gentle smile on her lips despite the sadness he could still see in her eyes. Leta sniffed again and she turned to face Jen, standing in Hiei's lap. "I like him, Jen-Jen. He's quality demon. Can we keep him?"

Jen laughed and Hiei couldn't help but smirk. Leta had her moments of wisdom, but she was still six. Her child-like logic and innocence was refreshing. "We will keep him for as long as he wishes to stay, little love," she said quietly.

Leta scoffed. "Of course he wishes to stay. He knows quality demons when he sees them too. Who wouldn't want to stay with their soulmate, anyway? I think that would be really stupid. Daddy always talks about how love is stupid and doesn't exist now, but I think people who don't let love in are the stupid ones. I think he has gotten bitter in his old age."

Her rambling was light, her happy sing-songy voice bringing a small smile to his lips as she turned to him. "Don't you think it's stupid, Hiei-dessi?"

His eyes widened, there was that word again. He remembered the pixie using it to refer to Vaislen. He looked to Jen, who seemed surprised. A small hand waving in front of his face shook him out of his thoughts. "Could you guys do the deep, soul-searching stares later? I asked a question."

His eyes returned to Leta's, which were a little agitated, but immediately turned happy as he spoke to her. "I used to be the same way as your father. I thought such emotions were foolish, and that I was incapable of things like love because of the person I was."

Leta wrinkled her nose. "What kind of silly way of thinking is that? Everyone is capable of love."

Hiei should have been offended, but Leta was too innocent for her own good. One look in her eyes and there was no way he could be mad at her. "You don't know what I've done, little onna."

She huffed at him. "Yes I do! I know everything about your past, present and the current direction of your future."

Hiei's eyes widened. "But how.." his voice trailed off.

She looked at him like it was obvious. "Hello, I'm dead? I'm like an oracle, but without all of the confusing messages that tell you nothin' about what you really want to know," she said as she poked him in the nose, his eyes widened as she glared at him. "How do you think I knew that you guys were soulmates? Did you think I fibbed and made it up?"

He was at a loss for words. Here he was, a six year old standing on his lap, scolding him. Never mind the fact she was a _ghost._ He should be furious by now, but he couldn't help but chuckle. "No, little onna. I just didn't know you had access to the past as well," he said, his voice soft.

Her eyes lightened again. "Well now you do, and I'm telling you that you are still capable of love, so you can take your stupid 'I can't love' theory and forget it!"

His mouth hung open. He wasn't sure what surprised him more. The fact that this little girl was actually scolding him and calling him stupid, or the fact that he wasn't strangling her right now for daring to talk to him as if he was the child. He looked up to find Jen's eyes filled with amusement. "I'm going to go get dressed," she said as she moved the sheet off her body. Everything turned blue as warmth covered his eyes, confusing Hiei. "Don't look at my Jen-Jen naked until I'm gone! I don't want to see that," Leta exclaimed and Hiei realized why everything was blue.

She was trying to cover his eyes with her hands. "Little onna," he said with an eyebrow raised. "Your hands are transparent."

Leta's eyes widened as Jen laughed, walking away from the bed. Leta pulled her hands away from his face and held them in front of her own face. "I guess that kinda defeats the purpose, huh," she said as she scratched the back of her head.

Hiei smirked and shook his head. "Leta," Jen called from the closet. "Would you like to go see everyone today?"

Leta's eyes lit up as she squealed. "Yeah!"

Hiei looked back to see Jen smiling as she came out dressed in black pants and a black tank top. "Will you bring her out to everyone? I will be down in a minute. I have a meeting with the Ancestral Council," she said, her voice grim as fury sparked her eyes again.

Leta didn't even wait for Hiei to answer as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course he will! Hiei-dessi is quality demon."

"What is 'dessi?'" Hiei asked looking back to Jen, who seemed as surprised as he was.

"It is an endearment for a father-figure."

Hiei's eyes widened as Leta nodded her head with enthusiasm. "Cookie once told me that we have three different kinds of family. The family we are born to, the family born to us, and the family we choose. It is why Vaislen is her Daddy. Don't you want to be my family, Hiei-dessi?"

The hopeful look in her eyes stunned him. No one had ever _wanted_ him in their family before. The only thing he really knew about family was Yukina, and he even kept her at a distance. After a few moments of silence Leta leaned forward in a loud whisper. "This is where you say 'Yes, Leta. I want to be in your family.' If you don't, then I would have to be upset with you, and I don't want to be upset at you."

His jaw dropped further before he shook his head and smiled. "Yes, Leta. I want to be in your family."

Her squeal as she wrapped her arms around his neck again peirced his ears but he some how didn't mind. "I knew you were a smart demon," she said.

He chuckled softly as he stood up with her, putting an arm under her. He couldn't help but smile at how freely Leta shared her love and happiness with him. It was down right infectous, to the point he had all but forgotten about the pain throbbing between his legs. Leta pointed to the door. "Yeah! Let's go," she wailed.

Part of him flinched at the idea of people seeing him with Leta in his arms as he exitted out the door and started down the long hall towards the sitting area that he could feel everyone was crowding in. In the end, he just chalked it up to having to beat up anyone who even thought about looking at him sideways. _I could use a good fight to blow off some of this steam._

* * *

_A/N~ Yes, this chapter was pretty much entirely fluff, but I had to get it out of my system. Don't worry, this isn't the point where everything is "Happily-Ever-After" between Jen and Hiei and the rest of the story is just fluff. Things are going to go down hill very fast starting in the next two chapters or so. Trouble will hit paradise and set everything aflame soon enough :)_

_Reviews are always encouraged :)_

_Much love ~Jessa_


	14. Chapter 14 Mini Chapter

Gasps filled the room as Hiei entered with Leta and Salvatore was the first person to reach him. Leta squealed and jumped into Salvatore's arms as he spun her around. The back of his neck tingled as looked over to see the fox staring at him in curiousity. Hiei shot a glare at him and Kurama shook his head slightly, a smile hovering on his lips, before averting his gaze to Salvatore.

Hiei watched as Leta flitted about the room to each of the wolf-demons before he quietly left to head back to Jen's room. He could sense her frustration rising through his abilities and decided to see how the meeting was going. He stopped short at the door when he heard Kravyn's booming voice reach his ears.

"I know you care about him, Sweetling, but he's a hybrid, and-"

"I don't give a damn what he is, Dad. He is a good man, and better than any pure-blood I have ever met."

"You have no idea what he has done, daughter."

Jen growled. "What? He doesn't meet your standards because he actually had to work to survive? He wasn't pampered like a prince so he isn't worth the dirt under your shoes. That's bullshit and you know it!"

"He has killed people, Jen. Many people."

"So? We are demons, Dad. Demons fight and when they do, they get hurt and often die. Sometimes they have to die in order to continue to survive in peace. You have lead plenty of wars to know that. Pure-bloods are just as capable," Jen paused before she continued and Hiei could see her pacing through the crack in the door while Kravyn stood infront of her with his arms crossed. "Even Leta recognizes that he is a good man, Dad."

"Leta is a six-year-old girl who-"

"Exactly! She is young enough to judge someone based on who they really are, not some stupid set of rules and politics. You and the rest of the council could learn a lot from her. Just let her come back to the council, Father."

"Leta directly disobeyed me."

Jen scoffed. "How many times have I disobeyed you and you still let me come home."

"This is different, Jenista. This is dealing with the future of the kingdom and the well-being of my oldest daughter."

Jen growled again, raking a hand through her hair. "If this was truly about my well-being, you would just leave it alone, Dad. He makes me happy. He makes me feel safe, even when the League is after us all-"

Jen was cut off by her father. "The _WHAT?"_

Jen's eyes widened and Hiei couldn't help but mirror the same look. "You didn't know? The League has been ordered to extirminate the wolf-demons and their allies. The Venatore and the Pontifex Mortis are here to aid against them. I thought you saw everythin-"

"I need to leave. Stay safe and don't leave your hybrid's side. I can see you remaining safe if you do, but we will discuss this whole mating business later."

Jen growled as her father departed and she looked up at the ceiling. "There's nothing to discuss!"

Hiei nudged the door open and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed. "I see that could have gone better."

Jen sighed as she looked back at him before moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "How long were you standing there?"

He scoffed as he raised an eyebrow. "Long enough to know your father loathes who I am and what I stand for."

Jen growled. "He doesn't know anything about you," she mumbled.

"Most don't."

Jen sighed slowly before shaking her head. "I just wish he would see that you are a good man."

A stabbing pain shot through Hiei's chest as he noted the sadness in her voice. "Nothing about me is classified as good, onna."

Jen glared at him and it caused him to widen his eyes slightly in surprise at the anger directed at him. "That's a lie, and you know it," She sighed as she looked down at her feet dangling just above the floor. "Besides, he thinks it is because of stupid blood lines. If you think that way, Carlotta is a saint who could do no wrong."

"Hn. She was still more suitable for the throne."

Jen arched a brow. "Right, because everyone wants a leader who will betray them. At least you wouldn't do something like that."

"How can you be so sure?"

Jen laughed quietly as she got up and crossed the room to stand in front of him. She stood so close that it made him want to take a step back but he remained where he was, unmoving. "Because you would have told Mukuro everything you knew and you certainly would have told her I was coming if you were into the whole betrayal thing."

Hiei's eyes widened as his mouth hung open slightly and Jen smirked, raising her hand to his chin to close his mouth. He shook himself out of his daze and focused on her. "How did you know?"

Jen shrugged a little. "Mukuro told me."

Hiei searched for something to say but drew a blank as she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, by the way," she said quietly. "I owe you."

"Hn."

He had at least a hundred come-backs that should make her question him, but he was starting to have a feeling none of them would work. Part of him didn't want them to work, and that's what confused him. He had felt a foreign warmth in his chest as he listened to her defend him against her father. In truth, no one had really ever come to his defense; Not that they needed to. He was more than capable of defending himself, but something felt nice about the fact that Jen had stood up for him anyway.

He sighed inwardly as he looked down into the she-wolf's eyes. Hiei reached his hand up slowly to brush his thumb against her scar. She blushed slightly and he raised an eyebrow, his curiousity peaking beyond the point of containment. "How did you get that?"

Jen sighed as she looked down. "By being young and stupid. I wanted to give myself a constant reminder of the beatings my mother and the society put me through so that I would never give in. It was also in rebellion against my mother because she always talked about how flawless I was."

Hiei frowned slightly. "That definitely falls under the catagory of young and stupid."

Jen laughed and little and scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah. I've had a few of those moments. Usually nearly got me killed and my brother had to come save my ass in the knick of time."

Hiei shook his head a little with a small smirk. "Uhm, Hiei?" He looked up at her with an eyebrow raised. "Could- Uhm... Could you train me? Aerisia is out in the open now. We don't have a protective barrier to keep everything easy to kill and it is unnerving how easily Mukuro's men took me down."

"Hn. Learn to control your energy, onna, and then we will talk."

Jen was about to say more when Salvatore came down the hallway with Leta on his shoulders. "Hey, if you two love birds don't mind, we have a meeting to discuss what our plans are against the League. It wouldn't be right for the Queen to not be present."

Jen nodded. "We will be right out."

Salvatore nodded and spun back around, causing Leta to squeal. Hiei turned his attention back to Jen to find a worried look on her face. "We will keep them safe, onna," he said quietly, understanding that she was worried about her people.

Jen looked up at him and searched his eyes, and he couldn't help but want to comfort her. She leaned forward against him, resting her forehead against his shoulder as she blew out a long sigh. He wrapped his arms around her silently and let her warmth seep into him. Despite every warning bell going off in his head, he felt like he could get used to this feeling. It was a feeling of warmth; Belonging.

Yet as he held her against him, another bad feeling crept up into his chest. This time, it shook him to his core because he could feel it had to do directly with Yukina and Jen. Hiei cursed silently but shielded himself as Jen pulled back to look at him with a soft smile. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. "Thank you, Hiei," she mumbled against his lips.

"Hn."

She pulled back and Hiei moved aside so she could exit through the doorway and head out to the sitting room. He blew out a sigh as he followed her, another stab of pain rippling through his nether region._ Things were going to get interesting.._

* * *

_A/N~ SO I have to apologize because this chapter is so short, BUT it was either that or make chapter 14 like twelve-thousand words. I also wanted to release a little something since it has been over a week since the last chapter. As it is, Chapter 15 is going to be a huge chapter. There is going to be a lot of explaining. Like, A LOT of explaining. It will be kind of slow, but it is an important chapter in understanding what is happening in the future chapters, and I'll add a few moments to make it worth it (*cough* maybe another Leta lecture for Hiei *cough*). Chapter 16 will span over a few weeks/months and 17 is when things will go terribly wrong. By chapter 20, you will be wondering what the Hell is wrong with me. I've actually got a pretty solid outline all the way out to the end of this story and well into the Hiei x Jen Sequel. I'm still playing with a plot line for Yusuke and Blythe's story so I'm not going to really mess with it until I get a general idea for that. I don't want to start it and then have no idea where to go with it and have inconsistencies and no direction...Just eww. I've already learned from that mistake._

_Chapter 15 should be out sometime this weekend, hoping for later today, but no promises. I've already got quite a bit typed out because I was originally going to just leave chapter 14 as ridiculously long, so it wont be much longer before I release chapter 15. :)_

_Review, favorite, follow, stalk, etc.. _

_Much love ~Jessa _


	15. Chapter 15

Jen walked into the meeting hall to find her pack and their allies, including Kurama, Yusuke and the rest of the gang, along with the members from the Venatore and Pontifex Mortis seated and waiting patiently. When they entered, Leta flitted over to float next to Hiei. She didn't touch him, but just stayed near him.

Jen couldn't help but smile at the fact that her little sister had grown so attached to the stubborn fire demon in such little time. Leta had even proclaimed Hiei as part of her family, which was a very high honor, according to the six-year-old. Jen was glad that at least _part _of her family was accepting Hiei. Considering Salvatore hadn't pulled the 'big bad brother' move, she assumed he was okay with Hiei being close to Jen.

Jen turned her attention to the group that was seated around a large table. She took her seat beside Salvatore and Hiei stood beside her chair. Leta swatted at Hiei's shoulder, whispering for him to sit down next to Jen, to which he only submitted when Leta started tugging on one of his spikes of hair. Jen smirked slightly. _I'm sure only Leta could ever get away with that._

Salvatore cleared his throat. "Alright, so we need to discuss exactly what we are up against and what we need to do to protect ourselves against their attacks. Selene, you are the oldest here, what do you know?"

Jen's attention turned to an unknown woman, who had blonde hair tied into a braid that fell over her shoulder. Infront of her and the man beside her were two black helmets that she recognized as a marker of the high priests of death. In addition, these two, along with Salvatore and two others who appeared to be Venatore, all wore sunglasses. _Must be the new fashion statement._

The woman, named Selene, toyed with the end of her braid before removing her sunglasses and addressing the group with large brown eyes. "Right. I'll over-look that 'old' comment," she said her voice light as she drummed the fingers of her gloved-hand on the table. "As it stands, TPTB has issued an extirmination order on all wolf-demons and their allies-"

Yusuke frowned and spoke up. "TPTB?"

Selene tilted her head to the side. "The Powers That Be. It is our term for whomever controls the Assassin's League. Since it varies, depending on the highest bidder, it's easier to use a generic term. As for who TPTB is currently, to answer your impending question, we have yet to figure that out, though we are working on it."

Selene held her hand out towards the center of the table and something of a three-dimensional grid formed in front of them. Thousands of pages floated within the box and scrolled slowly. Each page looked to have a picture and writing, like a profile of sorts. "These are the members of the League that we are aware of, though there are countless more that probably exist. The League consists of demons recruited by deities with the lure of immortality and power in exchange for servitude, as well as demons who are lured in to enforce justice. Each leader of the four pantheons has his own approach to recruitment."

Selene flicked her hand to the left and the profiles moved to the side, and four larger pictures of men appeared. Jen recognized one as Enma. "As it stands, King Enma, of the Spirit World recruits demons and humans alike who seek to carry out justice. Up until recently, Koenma's Spirit Detectives were looped into this catagory, but with the recent events, the son of Enma has pulled away from his father. We believe the Prince is an ally. Mars, of the Roman Pantheon, uses rewards beyond a demon's wildest dreams to sway the strongest to work under him. Zeus, of the Greek Pantheon, promises power, immortality, and vengence to demons filled with rage who have been stepped on their entire life. Odin, of the Norse Pantheon, approaches the more sinister ones who have been caught by the law for their evil deeds. While awaiting trial, Odin promises them that the charges against them will be waved in turn for their servitude.

"Currently, only Enma and Odin recruit humans, though Zeus has a few half-breeds in his force. Other gods and goddesses have been known to have pets, as we affectionately call them, of their own, but rarely coordinate with the assassin's league."

Selene flicked her hand again as a map of demon world appeared with a few blinking dots. "These are a few of the places that we know to be frequented by the assassins. Bars, clubs, and things of the like." Her hand flicked again, scrolling to a map of the human world. "The Templum, Blayne and Vayne's club in the human world, is one of the biggest spots for the assassins to congregate, as the laws of sanctuary in the club ban any kind of violence so it is a safe place to meet."

Yusuke frowned as he studied the map. "Why are we worried about assassins in the human world? As it is, anything more powerful than a D-Class demon requires permission to enter human world."

Selene looked at him gravely. "The League has been granted permanent access to walk all three realms at their own discretion, in case a target flees to human world. They can pop in and out of the worlds as easily as any of the Gods themselves."

Yusuke glared slightly, but said nothing as Blayne stood. "I would like to point out that The Templum will remain a Sanctuary to any and all apparitions. I just had new flooring put in and don't want to see any blood staining it. In addition, we have a medical center and safe house hidden below the club that we grant access to for those in need. You all have access to it if for whatever reason you find yourselves stranded in human world. I'll notify my staff of it when I return," she said, her tone bored as she paid more attention to her nails than anything else.

Blayne's tail flicked to the side slightly before sitting back down and Jen smiled softly. The dragon female was an interesting demon. Her attitude reminded her of a certain fire demon, but Blayne was very fashion forward. Appearances were her forte, which was why she was at the head of a business that dealt directly in helping demons integrate with humans. Everything you needed to start your life in the human world, they gave you. From fabricated legal documents to exchanging money. Jen never understood why the dragon demon did what she did, considering she hated humans, but Blayne was good at what she did.

Selene cleared her throat, pulling Jen out of her thoughts. "Noted," she said her hand flicking to change the scene again. This time a three-dimensional lay out of Aerisia came up, little flashing dots along the walls that Jen recognized to be their guard towers . "The guard towers you have been using will have little to no effect on the assassins. They know how to avoid security. The only way you will get the jump on them is by playing their game. I highly suggest keeping guards patrolling and in the guard towers, to keep the League from noticing something off, but an additional stealth force would be your best bet.

"More of the Pontifex Mortis will be arriving later today with cloaking equipment and weapons. I would also suggest you begin training the handful of wolf demons who have survived so far. I'll let you coordinate all of that at another time, but any help you need, feel free to talk to me. We are at your disposal."

Jen nodded slightly, deep in thought. The peaceful Aerisia she once knew was gone. On top of the League, Jen knew it wouldn't be long before other territories would try to encroach on Aerisia. She was surprised attacks had been so minimal so far. "Is there anything else we need to know about the League," she asked with a sigh.

Selene looked at the ceiling in thought. "Just that they are as efficient at cloaking their energy as I am and next to impossible to kill. Beheadings or absolute obliteration works in most cases. Anything else will just piss them off."

_That's just what I wanted to hear._ Jen sighed and nodded. She looked over to Yusuke, who looked a little pale. "Most cases?"

Selene nodded. "I have come across a few assassins that beheading them just slowed them down a little. I don't think I've seen one come back from obliteration though."

Yusuke audibly gulped. "How come Koenma never said anything about this before? You would think the freakin' Spirit Detective should know."

Koenma's voice floated through the air as he manifested beside Selene. "That is because I was not permitted to tell you, Yusuke. The League and its creators operate on a strictly need to know basis. Even I didn't learn about them until I walked in on a meeting my father was having with the other Gods.

"My father brought me in on it, but when I learned what they were really doing, I knew I had to take action. I had originally created the Spirit Detective position to police the League, but my father could never know the truth. Before Yusuke, none had been strong enough to stand against the League, so I kept it from them, having them do basic missions that protected humanity. My father originally wanted Yusuke to join the League, along with Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara, but when I refused to hand them over, he marked them as a threat that needed to be eliminated. I think he knows I was planning something, considering he has locked me out of everything completely."

Koenma sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Yusuke, but so long as you were under the impression that you were working for my father as well, the better the chances he wouldn't catch on that you would eventually be the one who would keep the assassins in line. As it is, I fear there will be a rogue assassin that exposes the world of apparitions to humans or go on another killing spree."

Selene arched a brow as she glanced over at Koenma. "We would not be able to recover the peace as we did before if that happened. With today's technology, the entire world would know within twenty-fours. Wiping the minds of every human would be doable, but a hassle. Never mind the technological side of having to wipe and replace data. Every blog post, every news report, even down to the smallest comment on any of the hundreds of social networking sites out there. Our tech, Amber, would be working forever."

Koenma nodded slowly. "Which is all the more reason that we need to get the League under control. That will be a long process though. Right now, we need to focus on keeping the wolf demons from becoming extinct."

Yusuke glanced between Selene and Koenma. "You guys have done this before?"

Selene scoffed. "Do you really think it was a plague that wiped out a third of the world's population over six-hundred years ago?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other before Yusuke sighed. "Just when I was starting to get the hang of demons and joining the ranks of the strongest, you tell me there's a whole other level of crap. Crap that could probably wiggle its nose and blow me up! At least nothing gets stronger than Gods, right?"

Selene and Koenma didn't say a word as they just stared at Yusuke. "You've gotta be frickin' kidding me, Koenma," Yusuke growled as he dropped his head in his hands.

Jen cleared her throat as she stood. "Right, well if there is anything else I need to know about the League, you can find me out in the forest behind the palace. I am going to scout out a few clearings near by to designate as training grounds. I will touch base with each of you in the near future before releasing a statement to the rest of the wolves in the kingdom."

Jen stood up from her chair as everyone nodded, standing as well. Kuwabara ran to catch up with Jen as she left the meeting room. "Hey, I just wanted to say that anything you need help with, we would be glad to help."

Jen tilted her head to look at Kuwabara as they walked down the hall. She could sense Hiei following behind at a distance, but focused on Kuwabara as they made their way through the palace. "Why are you so willing to help us," she asked with curiousity.

"We were ordered by Koenma to-"

"I know about that, but why are _you_ helping? From what I understand, most humans want nothing to do with demons, and yet here you are, jumping to our aid without hesitation. Don't you want to go home?"

Kuwabara looked down in thought as he shoved his hands in his pockets. They pushed open the doors, and started towards the forest before he finally spoke. "What those Delphyr guys did to you is awful. Most people would have retaliated against them, spilling twice as much blood and then they fight back and it leads to a bunch of senseless killing. Instead, you chose to rebuild your kingdom so it can handle any other attacks. I can respect that."

Jen sighed as they came to the first clearing. "Believe me, if I didn't think it would leave Aerisia open for another attack, I would have retaliated. I have a feeling that that was what the Delphyrs wanted though," she sighed as she stopped in the middle of the clearing, surveying the area. This would work for the hand-to-hand combat training. It was a bit small, but it would do for the close-quarters combat. "I'm tired of senseless killing though. Delphyrs have family and loved ones just as we do. It doesn't solve anything to stoop to their level. Gods help the bastards who try to come back to finish the job though," she paused as she frowned. "Though I supposed they are helping, huh?"

Kuwabara let out a short, quiet laugh, but seemed distracted by something in the distance. "Something troubling you, Kuwabara?"

He looked over his shoulder at her before looking away again, shrugging. "I don't know, but I get a strange feeling that we've been followed since we left the palace."

Jen frowned. "That is probably Hiei," she said, still sensing Hiei off in the distance in the trees, but he was in the opposite direction of where Kuwabara was staring.

Kuwabara shook his head. "Nah, I know what Hiei's energy feels like. This is different; Like it's barely there or somethin'."

Jen's frown intensified as she looked out in the direction he was staring. _I don't sense a damn thing. Either he is losing it, or my senses are failing. _She turned and looked in the direction that she knew Hiei was standing, wondering if he could feel it too.

Jen caught a blur out of the corner of her eye racing towards her as she barely jumped out of the way. A blade sliced into her arm as the blur stopped, turning towards her and Kuwabara. The man was dressed in black with a hood concealing his face. A white diamond on the hood over his forehead was the only marker as the man went after Jen again.

With a growl, Jen braced herself to catch him, her claws and teeth lengthening. Jen caught the man head on, but before she had the chance to attack, he threw her back, causing her to crash through several trees. He was unbelievably strong.

Hiei was at her side in a second, sword drawn and teeth bared. He looked over his shoulder to make sure she was okay, Jen giving him a reassuring nod, before he ran towards the man. To Jen's horror, he deflected Hiei with just as much ease as he had deflected her, sending him crashing through another line of trees in the opposite direction.

Hiei recovered quickly, rushing at the man's back as he stalked toward Jen. With a flick of his wrist over his shoulder, Hiei was thrown back again even harder. The man seemed to pay no attention to Kuwabara as he continued to walk toward Jen, a long blade sliding out from the man's sleeve.

As he reached Jen, Kuwabara attacked him from the side, manifesting his spirit sword but it didn't last long. In one fluid and horrific move, the man flipped the twenty inch blade in his hand and thrust it backwards between his arm and torso. The blade sank into Kuwabara's abdomen and the man pushed him away, sending him tumbling away while his walk towards Jen never slowed.

Without warning, another black blur entered the clearing and stood between Jen and the man. Jen recognized the new comer as Selene as she caught the man's wrists while he attempted to strike her, before kneeing him hard in the abdomen.

Selene ducked under his arm, using her leg and momentum to swing up the man's body, poised on his shoulder. Selene held her hand to his temple, a huge blast lighting up the clearing as she flipped away from the man who was now nothing but ash.

Jen sat up as Selene walked over to Kuwabara, and Jen made her way to Hiei, who was glaring at Selene in open suspision. "How is it she can kill him so easily when he threw us around like rag dolls," he growled angrily.

Jen examined Hiei to look for any wounds. He had a few scratches on his arm where he had made contact with the ground but otherwise he was in good condition. "She's been fighting the League for a long time. She's been trained to fight and eliminate them for nearly eight thousand years," Jen turned to see Nykairren walking up from behind as he spoke.

"Hn. Then it is time to start training," Hiei said before disappearing.

Jen had to agree as she watched Kuwabara sit up, nodding slightly as Selene helped him up. From what she could tell, Selene healed him. "So that was someone from the League, huh?"

Nykairren nodded as he stood beside her. "He was one of their weaker members. Probably sent to test the defenses. More will come. In the mean time, our reinforcements are here. You should accompany us to see what we have to offer. Your fire demon should be present as well, but I'll leave that up to you."

Jen nodded but said nothing as she reached out mentally to try to find Hiei. Once she found him, he seemed to sense her searching, and she felt his energy wrap around her and fill her mind.

_What is it, Onna?_ She heard his voice slide through her mind like silk, sending a shiver over her. He still sounded angry, but his voice was a tinge softer.

Deciding that drooling over her fire-demon's sultry voice could wait, she focused on the matter at hand. _More members from Pontifex Mortis are here. I would like for you to come with me to examine their equipment._

_ Hn._

Jen felt his energy retract from her as he made no mention of whether or not he was going to come. She had a feeling he would though. Hiei rarely had a problem with disagreeing, so she figured if he wasn't going to come with her, he would have told her.

Nykairren motioned for everyone to follow him back to the palace. In the back of her mind, she noted Hiei making his own way to the palace, causing her to smile softly.

* * *

Yusuke's mind was racing as he tried to wrap his mind around everything Kuwabara had told him. The assassin who attacked them had thrown Hiei around like he was nothing; And he knew first hand that Hiei usually didn't move unless he wanted to.

Yusuke cursed as he rested his head against the table he and Kuwabara were sitting at. It seemed like everytime he got strong enough to handle any threats they could throw at him, he learned about another group of people at least a hundred times stronger. Did it ever end?

He looked over his shoulder to see Hiei and Jen talking quietly. His friend was so different now. Not in the open-affection kind of way, but he actually talked to Jen. Yusuke couldn't recall a conversation with Hiei lasting longer than two minutes, unless you count the banter during a sparring match.

Hiei seemed to be becoming more relaxed as well. The tension he was used to seeing in the fire demon's face was fading. Yusuke was glad for it, especially after hearing about Hiei's rocky relationship with Mukuro. No one should be treated like that. Luckily, Hiei had come to Tourin to get away from Mukuro, even though he still agreed to work for her. Yusuke still never understood why he did despite everything the female lord did to him. His business was his business though, so Yusuke never asked. The only way he knew everything he did was because Mukuro had come to Tourin herself to talk to Yusuke while Hiei was out on the border. Needless to say, she left without getting what she wanted.

He pulled out of his thoughts as a group came in with three massive metal crates, followed by a woman with light brown hair that barely brushed her shoulders and bright blue eyes. Selene walked beside her with her sunglasses on the top of her head and Yusuke frowned. Selene's eyes were green. "I thought your eyes were brown," Kuwabara said, voicing exactly what Yusuke was thinking, and Selene laughed quietly but said nothing.

The woman with brown hair shook her head as she messed with the bottom edge of the fingerless glove on one of her hands. "Selene's eyes always change color. We used to take bets back at headquarters on what color her eyes would be when we saw her next," she said as she stood in front of Kuwabara. "I don't think any of us were ever right."

She laughed quietly as she stuck out her hand. "I'm Amber, the master of all things technological for Pontifex Mortis."

Kuwabara took her hand and shook it lightly before letting go. "I'm Kuwabara."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. He'd never seen Kuwabara act so nonchalant around a woman. Amber was definitely attractive, though in a normal, almost boring sense. _Like Keiko._ Yusuke flinched and returned his thoughts to Kuwabara. _I guess Yukina really does have a hold on him._

Yusuke turned his attention to Amber, Nykairren and Selene opening each of the metal crates as the ones who brought them in left after Nykairren gave them orders to guard the palace.

Selene's crate had what looked like body armor in it. Various pieces that reminded him of what Nykairren and Selene wore were stacked in the box as Selene pulled them out with ease. "This armor not only cloaks energy, but it is insanely strong. Most blades and bullets can't peirce it and energy blasts are deflected," she said as she placed jackets, shirts, pants, boots and helmets on the table.

Yusuke stood and lifted a jacket up to find it was ridiculously heavy. "Damn, what's this stuff made of, steel?"

Amber laughed and shook her head. "Steel isn't nearly as strong. This is a man-made material. It's composed of tungsten carbide, diamond, and an energy based particle that ties it all together and keeps it from breaking down while making it super flexible. You will get used to the weight."

Yusuke scoffed as he dropped the jacket back down on the table with a resonating thud. Turning his attention to Amber's box he looked over her shoulder to find a bunch of electrical stuff. Pulling out a control panel of sorts, Amber sighed happily as she turned it on and scrolled through a bunch of information Yusuke didn't understand. "This is the equipment we'll be using for Aerisia's defense. Surveillance, energy fields and shielding should keep most out, and let us know as soon as anything else gets by."

With a nod, he moved to Nykairren's box and stared in awe. Guns of all sizes, ammo, knives, swords, and various other weapons were laid out in the box. Nykairren's mouth twitched slightly with a smile as he looked down at the arsenal. "And this is the real defense of Aerisia. All the best gear for slicing, dicing, and blowing the absolute shit out of any assassin that approaches," he said as he picked up a particularly large assault rifle. "Most of the bullets are laced with energy, giving your shots a potent punch. Aim for the head and you'll kill just about anything."

He set the gun down and picked up a blade that twisted in multiple directions. Small glowing blue lines lit up over the blade as Nykairren held it in his palm. "Our blades draw from your energy, almost like an extention of your hand, making the ever-sharp blades able to cut through nearly anything. As a bonus, they don't dull so there is no need for sharpening between your hack-n-slash battles."

Hiei and Jen were standing beside Yusuke and Nykairren handed Jen the blade. The blue faded and gold filled the lines. Hiei picked up a sword and black energy filled the sword as small waves of Hiei's potent energy lifted off the sword and licked up the blade like flames.

* * *

Jen stared at the sword in Hiei's hand in awe. Standing next to him, waves of his energy crashed over her and enveloped her as it came off the sword. "Glad to see the lot of you have some strength," Nykairren said with a flat tone before looking at Jen. "I would suggest that training begin immediately."

Jen nodded slightly. "Right. I've decided to break the survivors and allies into groups that will rotate through the different areas of training, including hand-to-hand combat, blade training, shooting, and energy manipulation. Makya and I will be leading the hand-to-hand combat training. Hiei and Vaislen, take on the blade training. Avidan and Peanut; Shooting. Yusuke and Kuwabara, I want you at the head of energy manipulation. Genkai, Kurama, and Terrance, I would like the three of you to work on an intensified training of all of the above combined that includes meditation as well as engaging in combat with the odds stacked. For example, fighting with no energy while your opponent has access to theirs," she paused and turned to Nykairren. "In addition, those of us who are appointed to lead will be undergoing training from Selene and Nykairren, with your approval of course, that we will then integrate into our training that we pass down to everyone else."

She turned to Genkai. "I would also like for you to train a group that focuses on healing and defense," she said and Genkai nodded slightly.

"Yukina would be a good person to aid in that training," Genkai said gruffly.

Jen turned to Yukina and smiled. "How 'bout it? Want to train people to protect and heal?"

Yukina was a little taken back before she smiled warmly. "I still have a lot to learn, but I would be happy to help anyway I can."

Genkai laughed shortly as she turned away to walk out of the room. "You know a lot more than most of these dim-wits, so don't sell yourself short. Come on, we have preparations to make before Jen announces the plan to the rest of the wolves."

Yukina followed Genkai after bowing hurriedly to Jen and everyone else. Jen turned to Hiei, who had put the sword down and was now examining the armor. "I expected it to be a little heavier," he stated.

Yusuke scoffed. "That is heavy!"

Hiei took off his cloak and tossed it at Yusuke, who was quickly weighed down by the cloak. "Damn, Hiei! How do you move so fast in this thing? It is like three-billion pounds!"

"Hn. Training," he said with a smirk.

Yusuke shook his head and tossed the cloak, with great effort, back at Hiei. Jen watched in awe as Hiei easily caught it with one hand and slid it back on in one fluid movement. _He's gotta teach me how to do that._

Jen shook out of her throughts and clapped her hands together. "Alright then! If nobody has any objections, I'm going to get ready to release my statement to everyone else."

Since nobody said anything, Jen assumed everything was settled so she left the palace and headed for her room.

Leta flitted to her side and wrapped her arms around Jen's neck as they walked. "You are doing so well, Jen-Jen! Those League monsters won't stand a chance!"

Jen sighed, smiling softly at her little sister's enthusiasm. "That remains to be seen, little love, but if everything goes the way I want it to, everything will turn out okay. I just hope the survivors take to my plan."

"Hn. They would be foolish not to," she heard Hiei say from behind them.

Jen shrugged as Leta let go of her neck to sit on Hiei's shoulders. "I have seen them do more foolish things."

Hiei scoffed. "So then we threaten to turn them out and see how they brave on their own."

Jen's eyes widened slightly as she looked over to see if he was serious; He was. She started to say something about that being awful but then thought about it a little. _It would be a good way to let them know just how serious we are about this. _Jen sighed. She would deal with those who didn't accept the training when the time came.

A small commotion at the nearby gate caught Jen's attention as she made her way over, Hiei following close behind. She came up to a small group of wolves arguing with a group of rather-worn looking cat demons. With a frown Jen silenced the arguing by raising her hand as she turned to one of the cat demons. "Why are you in Aerisia?"

The male cat demon looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. "Are you Jenista?" Jen arched a brow and nodded before the cat demon continued. "Our colony just West of Aerisia was wiped out by a group of Delphyrs. We were able to chase them out, but barely. Hundreds of our people were killed and our homes are burned to the ground. We came to Aerisia to see if you could offer any assistance. We heard about the attack and decided the new leader of Aerisia would be our best shot at recovery."

Jen looked at the group in front of her, reminded of her own survivors just days after she had found them. "Are these all the survivors?"

The cat demon shook his head. "There are a handful or so more at the small camp we made outside of our land. If we could just-"

One of the older wolves spoke up. "Aerisia doesn't not help those who are too weak to take care of themselves-"

Jen cut him off. "Silence," she growled, turning to the wolf. "Do not forget that we were in the same position just a few short months ago. If not for our allies, we would not be where we are today," she turned back to the cat demon. "Aerisia is your home for however long you choose to stay. I do ask, however, that you and the other cat demons partake in the training everyone in Aerisia will be required to participate in."

The cat demon nodded graciously. "Thank you, I will notify the remainder of our colony at once. Your hospitality will not be forgotten, Queen Jenista," he said with a bow.

Jen nodded slightly before the cat demons departed as she turned away. One of the wolves started to address her but she held up her hand. "I will be releasing a statement later this afternoon to address the direction of Aerisia. All questions will be answered then," she said as she continued to walk away.

Hiei arched a brow as he walked beside her. "Are you sure it was a good idea to go against the traditions of Aerisia?"

Jen nodded. "Times are changing. When the wolf-demons' numbers thrived, it was possible to remain isolated, but right now, we could use the allies. Giving shelter to the cat demons will build their loyalty to us, increasing our numbers against any threats. I intend for Aerisia to become a diverse mix of demon races eventually."

"How will your wolves take that?"

Jen shrugged. "Not very well, I suspect, but they will realize that this is necessary to survive. I doubt any real opposition will arise until after Aerisia is back on its feet and thriving. That will be around they same time they start kicking and screaming about an unmated female leader."

Hiei smirked. "Who is lying with a hybrid, no less."

Jen looked at him and returned his smirk. His eyes were bright and confident. "Bring on the rebellion."

* * *

_A/N~ So! I actually found a stopping point before Chapter 15 got too ridiculously long. It is still the longest chapter so far, at about 5,570 words, but I have a feeling future chapters might be longer. Chapter 16 shouldn't be too long and it should be up within the week, considering I have most of it figured out, and even part of it typed out. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a message or write a review :) I might use the A/N in chapter 16 as a quick run down of everything so far that is new to the YYH universe. I am still not sure where I will release the guide. I may even write a Leta-narrated story of how she explains the complexities of the worlds and everything in them. That could be cute :o_

_Enjoy~ :)_

_Much love ~Jessa_


	16. Chapter 16

Jen stood in the second story of the palace trying to calm her nerves. How her people took this information that she was about to deliver depended solely on how she told them. Between mandatory training and sharing their home with a colony of cat demons and eventually the survivors of other destroyed villages through out the Makai, it was going to be tricky telling the reclusive wolf-demons about the changes.

Jen felt a warm hand on her shoulder and turned to find Hiei standing there silently. She sighed as she turned to fully face him and walk into his arms. His embrace calmed her immensely as she nuzzled the side of his neck. He pushed a kiss into her hair before releasing her.

Jen felt a mix of emotions as she stared up at her fire demon. "I want you next to me during the speech," she said.

Hiei's eyes widened slightly. "Onna," he started and Jen shook her head.

"Before you start, Hiei, I'm not afraid of what they think. I'm not ashamed of you, and I'm certainly not going to hide the fact that I am with you. They will accept it, just as they will accept all the other changes that will be happening."

Hiei arched a brow as he stared down at her. "I wasn't aware you were a telepath," he said quietly with a hint of amusement.

Jen smiled softly as she reached up to touch his cheek. "I don't need freaky mind powers to know what you are thinking, Hiei. I've been around you enough to figure out what's going on in your mind for the most part. I've had to since you don't tell me much," she said with a quiet laugh.

Hiei frowned. "It bothers you that I am not as open with you."

Jen tilted her head to the side. "It used to, to be honest, but I realized eventually that you didn't need to express everything in words for me to know. You may not tell me, but there are things you do to let me know how much you care, and what you are thinking and feeling."

Jen laid her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his torso. "You've been something of a rock for me, Hiei. You've kept me grounded and level-headed and I don't want to keep you hidden like some dirty secret. You deserve more than that."

Hiei patted her back lightly as he hn'd softly. He tensed slightly as Jen sensed someone coming towards the room. Reluctantly, she let go but remained close to him. She knew Hiei was changing a lot but he still wasn't comfortable with public displays of affection. His affection was more personal, sharing that part of him with only her. It was something else she had come to accept about the stubborn fire demon.

Salvatore opened the door and walked in quietly. "Ready, little sister?"

Jen blew out a sigh and nodded. "As soon as Nykairren and Yusuke are here, we will address the survivors. Have you heard anything on the arrival of the cat demons?"

Salvatore nodded. "They are here. They have wisely kept their distance from the wolf demons, but are ready to hear your words as well."

Jen nodded numbly. Part of her wanted to run and hide, letting everything work itself out on its own. She knew that wasn't an option though. Things would not work out for the better that way. Besides, this is what she had always wanted, wasn't it? To single-handedly lead Aerisia into a new era and be remembered for centuries to come?

Jen glanced over at Hiei, who was watching her with calm eyes, and began to wonder if that was truly everything she wanted. She tilted her head at the more important question on her mind. _When had I become unsure of what I wanted?_

Yusuke and Nykairren entered the room together, talking about weapons and things of the like. Jen looked over at the door to the balchony. At this point, it didn't matter if anything had changed. Aerisia had entrusted her to lead them out of the darkness of hiding into the thriving world that Aerisia had once been.

_No,_ she thought. _Aerisia will be nothing like it used to be. It will be stronger._ With that thought fresh in her mind, and her determination solidified she nodded to Salvatore as they all walked towards the door.

The demons all hushed their muffled conversations as they came on on the balchony. Hiei stood close to her left and Salvatore stood on her right. Nykairren was farther on the right and Yusuke was beside Hiei on the left.

"Aerisians," she started, her voice echoing through the area. "Dark times have fallen upon us. With our returning strength after a bitter betrayal that left us weak and nearly broken, we have been marked as a threat by many through out the Makai and even greater beings in Spirit World. It has been brought to my attention that the League of Assassins have been issued a kill order to eliminate all wolf demons and their allies."

Gasps resonated through the clearing. Jen continued. "I ask you to not fear, however, for not even the League can take down our mighty kingdom. We will meet them head on and show them just what we are capable of."

This time, cheers lifted up through the air, pride swelling in Jen's chest. "But we can not do it alone, my friends, and we can not do it as we are now. We still have a great deal of strength to gain back and we must go above and beyond. In order to prevail, each and every one of you _must_ put forth the effort to become stronger; Better. Mandatory training will begin early tomorrow morning.

"You will be broken into groups and rotated through each of the courses of training. Each course will last two hours, totalling eight hours a day. All will be required to participate in hand-to-hand combat, and energy manipulation. Depending on your preference and performance, your third class will be either blade-training, shooting, or healing and defense. Your fourth class will be based on applying what you have learned to challenging scenarios.

"I understand this is asking a lot of all of you, but dark times are upon us, my friends. I trust that all of you will do your part in restoring Aerisia to its glory and protecting our kingdom from our enemies who wish to see us fall."

More cheers came up through the air to reach her ears and Jen was surprised at how well they were taking this. Now would be the hard part though. She waited for the cheers to die down "As for my other statement, that we can not do this alone. As many of you have probably learned, I have opened the gates to a colony of cat demons who were attacked by the Delphyrs just as we had been. I urge you to accept them. They have lost just as much, if not more than we have. They know the pain of loss, just as all of you. They have even lost their homes and everything they once knew. I ask that you join me in welcoming them to Aerisia.

"Our ancestors say that those who rise from the ashes as survivors return stronger, with more determination to live than ever before. We are all survivors here, my friends, and the cat demons will be a powerful ally, as will other survivors who have fallen victim to the Delphyrs' path of destruction. We _must _band together to fight back this common enemy and show the Delphyr that we will not fall prey to them any longer!"

Cheering surprised Jen and this time, the cat demons and the rest of their allies who were present joined in, the sound of determination echoing through the kingdom. "Vivant Aerisia," she shouted and everyone shouted "Vivant Aerisia," in response.

A chant started up as wolves howled, and cats roared. The cheers of all echoed through the kingdom, as Jen turned and left the balchony, everyone who had stood with her following behind her.

As Salvatore closed the door behind them Jen laughed in victory, her pride coarsing through her veins. Her joy unbound, she jumped into Hiei's arms, who was shocked as she wrapped her arms around his neck, Jen's momentum spinning them around a few times. "They accepted it! All of it! I can't believe it," she said happily as she buried her face in Hiei's shoulder.

Hiei laughed quietly. "You did it, Onna."

His voice was soft, and barely audible, but it warmed Jen to her core. It was then that she remembered the other three in the room. She pulled back from Hiei and looked up at him carefully. He was tense and seemed a little uncomfortable, but pride shone in his eyes as he looked down at her.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I got kinda carried away."

* * *

Hiei hn'd softly as she scratched the back of her neck and turned to everyone else. He watched as Salvatore came forward and picked Jen up, spinning her around several times, causing her to laugh as his own laughter and words of praise reached his ears.

Yusuke came to stand next to Hiei, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Hiei brushed the hand off quickly with a glare, but Yusuke was unphased. "You picked a good one, Hiei. Take care of her."

"Hn."

Nykairren was watching everything from the wall he had leaned against, the slightest smirk hovering on his lips. Salvatore finally put Jen down and she walked towards Hiei with a little trouble. "I feel like running until my lungs are about to burst. Would you run with me," she said with a huge smile on her face.

Hiei couldn't decline as he felt waves of her happiness crash into him. He managed a small nod. Jen laughed as she ran past him out of the room. Hiei raised an eyebrow when she returned a few seconds later to grab his arm and drag him along with her.

After several steps once they were alone, he pulled his arm back, causing Jen to spin around and crash into his chest. He caught her by her arms, but allowed her chest to make contact with his, a spark licking up his body at the contact. "I can walk fine on my own, Onna," he said shortly.

Jen nodded. "Sorry, you just hadn't moved yet and-"

He cut her off with a feral kiss, causing Jen to moan in his mouth as her hands slid up his chest. He pulled back after a few seconds and nodded towards the palace door. Jen smiled up at him. "I hope you don't mind, but I am going to run as a wolf," she said as she started removing her clothes.

Hiei watched intently, taking in her bared flesh. After she was completely naked, there was a flash and Hiei looked down to find a rather large wolf looking up at him. Her fur was the exact same color as her hair, her golden eyes shining. She turned and bounded off towards the exit and Hiei took a moment to pick up her tank top and pants. He stuffed them in his cloak before he smirked and ran after Jen.

He didn't know how long they ran for, weaving through the trees, playing something of a game of tag. He hadn't felt this light-hearted in..- Well, ever. Jen's playfulness and challenge had even him laughing and enjoying himself.

Just as the sun was sinking behind the horizon, Jen came to a stop at a small lake with a waterfall cascading down from the far side. She rolled around on her back in the grass, Hiei watching with an eyebrow raised. Jen stood up and stared up at him, her tail wagging behind her with enthusiasm. She barked at Hiei, causing Hiei's brow to arch further. "I don't speak dog, Onna," he said as he crossed his arms with a small smirk.

A snort of indignation came from Jen's nose as she head-butted him hard in the hip. He dropped his hand to her head to bury it in her soft fur. She leaned into his touch as he rubbed her ear softly.

Hiei dropped his hand after a few moments and another flash lit up the area around the lake. He looked down to find Jen, back in her regular form, staring up at him from her sitting position with her knees up against her chest. "I'm not a dog," she mumbled with slight annoyance.

He could still hear the slight humor in her voice as he pulled her clothes out of his cloak to toss to her. She caught them but set them on the ground as she stood. "Not yet."

Hiei arched a brow in curiousity as she turned away from him, stretching before she dived into the lake. Jen resurfaced after a few seconds and motioned for Hiei to join her. He scoffed as he crossed his arms but said nothing. Jen just shrugged and began swimming around as Hiei closed his eyes in contentment, her happiness washing over him.

Until he felt cold water make contact with his cheek. He opened his eyes in shock to see Jen staring at him with feigned innocence as his hand came up to his cheek. She splashed water at him again but he dodged out of the way just in time as his own mischief rose.

Without warning Hiei disappeared behind several trees, masking his energy so she couldn't sense him. He made quick work of his clothes before slipping into the lake without a sound. He spotted Jen with her back to him as she looked around the clearing. With a smirk, Hiei approached her.

"Hiei," she called out questioningly.

Hiei used the sound to mask his movement as he used his speed to move to stand directly behind her. He rested his hands on her upper arms, causing her to jump a little and try to turn around, but Hiei kept her from doing so.

He pulled her back against his front, running his hands down her arms and up her sides. His hands toyed with her breasts lightly, causing Jen to lean against him with a low groan. Having her exactly where he wanted her, he slid his hands down her body. Dipping below the water level, which came up to just below her breasts, he stopped his hands at her thighs.

Then, quickly and on purpose, he pulled her legs out from under her, causing her to be submerged completely under water. Hiei smirked and crossed his arms as she came up with a gasp, surprise on her face. Without warning, Jen splashed a huge wave at Hiei, soaking his hair and causing the bandana that he had forgotten to remove to drop down to cover his eyes. He sputtered in surprise as her splash attack didn't let up until his hair clung to his face and shoulders.

Hiei pulled the bandana away from his eyes as he narrowed them on her. _Oh, she would pay for this._ Hiei disappeared again as he pushed up a huge wave to crash over her from behind. She spun around and tackled him in the water as they wrestled playfully, Hiei inevitably winning.

He had her pinned against the rock wall near the waterfall, both of their breathing slightly labored. He dipped his head and captured her lips, a soft groan rumbling through his chest. Letting go of his self-control a bit, he deepened the kiss, his hand coming up to stroke her between her legs.

Jen moaned as her fingers wrapped around his shaft, pleasure shooting through his body. They teased each other lightly for several minutes, their passion continuing to rise until Hiei decided he had reached his limit. He pulled his hand away to wrap his fingers around her wrist so he could pull away her hand that had been torturing him so wonderfully.

Jen wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him against her tightly as his shaft rubbed against her core. It almost succeeded in breaking his self control as he clenched his eyes shut, his forehead resting against hers. "Onna," he managed to groan out. "Too much more of that and I won't be respecting your wishes for much longer."

Her mouth dropped to his collar bone, playing more havoc on his control as her hips moving pushed him dangerously close to the edge of burying himself inside her. "And if I want you to do that?"

Her words set fire to his already boiling blood as he pulled back and looked down at her. Her eyes stared up at him with a matching fire as his hand cupped the side of her face. Gods, he wanted to take her, but would she regret it later? He didn't think he would be able to take it if she did.

His self control a little more stable, Hiei kissed her softly. "Then we will at a time when our heads are not as clouded as they are now, should you still want that."

Jen nodded slightly, her legs unwrapping themselves from his waist as he stepped back a fraction from her. "We should head back," he stated and she nodded, avoiding his eyes as she stepped away from him.

"I'm sorry I lost control," she mumbled and he stopped her, forcing her to look up at him.

"Do not apologize for that, Onna," he said quietly.

"But what if you hadn't-" He cut her off.

"I did, Onna, and I will continue to do so until you decide you are ready," he said, his voice softer than normal, but still insistant.

Jen nodded slightly after staring into his eyes for several moments. Her eyes trailed up to his forehead to study his Jagan, causing him to feel slightly exposed. "A little unsettling, I know," he said quietly as he started to turn away from her.

She pulled him to stop as she continued to look up at his third eye. She shook her head. "I don't think it is unsettling at all. I think it is rather beautiful."

Hiei stared down at her in surprise. _Well, that's a first._ People had many different reactions to his implanted Jagan, but never had it been called 'beautiful.' She smiled softly and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Come on," she said, her tone light as she took his hand. She laced her fingers in his, bringing his hand up to kiss knuckles that had caused far more destruction than most.

She let his hand go and moved to the edge of the lake, Hiei making his way to where his own clothes lay. He met her after he dressed, using his energy to dry his hair back to its usual spikey state. Together, they walked back to the inn, talking quietly about the training that was to come.

Unknown to them, eyes followed their every move, hidden in the trees and shadows. Once they were out of sight, the figure took its leave, disappearing completely into the night.

* * *

_**Six Months Later...**_

* * *

Jen growled as she focused on trying to find her fire demon who was only Gods knew where as she stood in the middle of a clearing. Training had ended nearly four hours ago, but Hiei and Jen stayed out for their usual sparring match. As usual, Jen couldn't sense Hiei until the last second when he would appear at some angle to try to land a hit.

Usually, he would come at her from behind, but after the third or fourth time, she caught on and he changed his tactic to attacking from a random direction. _Bastard._ Finally, she caught a spark of Hiei's energy to her left and she countered him, meeting his shin with her forearm.

She pushed her energy out from her forearm, pushing him back as he landed gracefully before he disappeared again, reappearing almost immediately behind her for another attack that Jen barely blocked. Several kicks and punches were exchanged at lightening speed, Jen content that she was finally meeting Hiei's attacks blow for blow.

Feeling brave, probably from being able to keep up with him, Jen took a chance. She grabbed his shoulder, using it to vault and spin over him and make contact with her shin to his side. Hiei barely shifted his weight, but it was enough for Jen to sink down, swinging her other leg out, knocking him off balance.

It only lasted for a split second though, as he rolled away, landing in a crouch. Now on the offense, Jen gave him no time to shift back to him attacking and her defending, choosing an old-fashioned tackle as she bounded after him much like she would if she was in her wolf form.

He caught her by the shoulders as they both tumbled several yards, fighting for the upper hand. Hiei won out as her back met the solid ground, his weight on top of her keeping her from moving. With a feral growl of victory, Hiei dipped his head and kissed her, his body moving against hers in sinful pleasure.

He pulled back and let her up after a few minutes, once he was content with the prize he had claimed for winning. Jen got up to stand in front of him, her breathing a little labored. Her eyes trailed over his shirtless form, a shiver running over her. She had resorted to wearing a tank top and shorts for training lately, as the summer of the Makai was approaching quickly. Each day was even hotter than the last and lasted several hours even after the sun set.

"You are improving, Onna," Hiei said with a small smirk.

Jen arched a brow. "After six months of this, I would be a little disappointed with myself if I wasn't," she said, turning to walk towards the palace. "I think I would give up trying to be a demon queen and go live a quiet life in human world as some desk clerk or something."

Hiei snorted slightly. "Desk clerk?"

She shrugged. "Was the most boring thing I could think of."

Hiei tilted his head. "How many times have you been to the human world?"

She tilted her head up to look at the sky in thought. "Avidan and I used to sneak out of Aerisia and go at least once or twice a month, but we haven't gone in over a year."

He hn'd quietly and Jen looked up at the approaching palace to see Lilith, the firey cat demon with black hair and green eyes waiting on the steps. Her arms were crossed, her sleek black tail flicking behind her in agitation and her ears twitching about slightly.

Jen had become fond of the teenage cat demon. Her attitude was sharp, having no problem telling anyone just what was on her mind and a temper with Kuwabara that rivalled Hiei's. Her father, who went by Ace, was the leader of the cat demon colony, who Jen had also become fond of.

Shaking out of her thoughts, Jen waved her hand in greeting to Lilith. Lilith dropped her arms to her side as Jen walked up and the braced each other's upper arms in the traditional Aerisian greeting. "What's troubling you, Lily?"

The cat demon growled at the nickname but disregarded it as she huffed in annoyance. "That stupid human keeps interrupting our meditation," she whined. "Everytime Yukina, Nadeine and I start to get into the right mind set, he bursts into the room to say something stupid to Yukina or bring her some lame token of affection."

Jen shook her head slightly, thinking about Kuwabara and his hopeless romantic antics as he tried to 'woo' a demon who had no idea about mating or relationships. Jen remembered trying to explain it all to her, but it was hopeless. Jen couldn't even say a lot of the things that were involved, so she just left it alone.

"I'll talk to him," Jen said, patting the cat demon on her shoulder.

Lilith nodded slightly, mumbling a thank you before she turned and walked towards the inn. Jen decided it would be time to make her way to the inn after she stopped in to tell Kuwabara to ease off.

She looked into the meeting hall to find Nykairren, Ace, Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Genkai talking about different energy manipulation tactics before they turned their attention to her and Hiei entering. Yusuke waved at them, Jen nodding in response before turning her attention to Kuwabara. "I hear you are giving the ladies problems with their meditation time."

Kuwabara scratched the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "It wasn't that bad," he mumbled.

Jen arched a brow. "Either way, you will leave Yukina and the rest of the girls alone during their meditation, or I'm going to let Lilith shred you like a ball of yawn."

Kuwabara gulped and Yusuke laughed. "Then she could roll around with you on the floor the way you like to watch your kitten do with a ball of yarn," he said, clapping a hand on his human friend's shoulder.

Ace crossed his arms as he raised a black eyebrow. Like his daughter, his hair, tail and ears were black and his eyes were a bright green. "You know, we aren't amused by string and shiny object jokes, but we do enjoy a good game of cat and mouse, if you are interested," he said with a wicked smirk.

It was Yusuke's turn to gulp and he laughed nervously. Jen shook her head. "Well if there is nothing you guys need, I'm going to go ahead and turn in for the night."

They all nodded and waved their goodbyes as Jen turned and left, Hiei silently following behind her. The trip to the room was silent as tiredness tugged at Jen's limbs. Her and Hiei had pretty much taken to sleeping in the same room every night, his warmth and company always welcome to Jen.

Her mind wondered slightly as they walked. The training over the last six months had gone even better than they had anticipated. The survivors had divided up pretty evenly over the three choice classes. Amber's defense systems kept them well-informed of any attacks and Jen and Hiei had been able to rid the world of a few assassins themselves, despite having the effectiveness of an insect just six months prior. Everything seemed to be going wonderfully. Most of the cat demons and even some of the wolves were beginning to regard Hiei as something of a leader, which Jen couldn't believe. It all almost seemed too good to be true. The only thing that was a little off was Hiei.

He'd been a little quieter than normal the past few days, and it had confused her as to why. His mind seemed to be elsewhere any time they weren't training. She had asked him a time or two what was up, but he never elaborated on it. He just hn'd and disregarded her concern.

They entered their room and Jen stretched as Hiei closed the door behind them. She walked to the closet where her clothes and an accumulating collection of Hiei's were kept and grabbed a large white shirt to sleep in.

She peeled her clothes off and pulled the shirt over her head, glancing over at Hiei. The fire demon was staring out the window leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his back turned to her.

Jen came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. His body had been tense and it relaxed to a degree but his body was still for the most part rigid. "Hiei, tell me what's wrong. _Please,"_ she said quietly, her concern for her intended mate choking her voice.

"It's nothing, Onna."

Jen sighed. "The Hell it is, Hiei," she said quietly, but firmly. "If something is bothering you to this degree, then it is something and I'm tired of you shrugging it off when I ask you."

Hiei tensed again before he sighed, turning to her. "It's really nothing, Onna. Just a bad feeling I can't get rid of."

Jen tilted her head to look up at him. "Then let me help, Hiei. I'm not completely useless, you know," she said as she nuzzled his neck.

His barely audible purr rumbled through his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "I know you aren't useless, Onna," he said softly.

Jen turned her head and pressed a kiss to his neck, his body slowly relaxing under her touch as her hands roamed over his back. He picked her up silently and carried her to their bed, laying her down carefully before he made his way to the closet to kick off his shoes and change his pants.

She watched him intently as he turned back towards her, his predatory gait holding her transfixed as he walked towards the bed. He slid in beside her, pulling her close as he held her tighter than normal and buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. He relaxed more as Jen's arms wrapped around his torso and her lips found his in a tender kiss.

It still amazed her how someone so dangerous and capable of complete destruction could be so gentle. He had never hurt her; Not even on accident. The times that he held her like this told her more than any words ever could. He held her like she was one of the most precious things in any of the three worlds; Like he would fight all of the Heavens and Hells combined to keep her safe.

She didn't need him to vocalize that he cared about her, because she understood just fine. With a sigh of contentment, she parted her lips for him, their kiss deepening into a passion neither of them had ever known before. In that moment, she realized just how hard she was falling for him. It was almost frightening just how much he had come to mean to her.

He broke the kiss reluctantly, kissing her forehead lightly. "Sleep, Onna," he said quietly.

She nodded, kissing him lightly one last time before he laid on his back, gathering her into his arms as she melded to his side. Her head rested on his chest, and her hand traced random patterns on his chest before it came to a rest over his heart. She drifted off to sleep shortly after.

* * *

Hiei looked around his distorted surroundings, struggling to see. From what he could make out, he was in the palace, countless people that he couldn't quite make out scattered through out the throne room.

With a stab of pain, everything sharpened around him, his eyes adjusting to his now crystal-clear vision. He recognized wolf-demons and their allies, even a few old faces like Jin and Touya. Everyone seemed tense and uneasy.

That's when it happened. Just as he raised his eyes to see a figure cloaked in black, a dagger leaving its hand to fly through the air. He traced the dagger's path straight to Yukina's chest. Stunned and unable to move, he watched her fall as several people rushed to her aid. Vaislen held her in his arms and Selene fell to her knees, a cry of agony on her lips.

His vision dimmed at that point. Power coarsed through him at such a potent level, he swore his entire body would be shredded from the sheer pressure. He felt the dragon detach from his arm and wrap itself around him, its agony adding to his own. Distantly, he could hear his growls of anguish turning into yelling as the room flexed under the weight of his power.

It was then that he saw Jen rushing toward him and panic enveloped him. Before he could say anything, he saw the dragon wrap around her, consuming her as his own vision turned black. The last thing he could remember were hands on his face before everything faded.

"_Hiei," _a disembodied male voice coaxed. _"Hiei. I know you can hear me. You remember me, don't you?" _He growled. There was no way he could forget Sundrak's voice. The bastard was an old enemy who vowed to kill him. Not like he was the only one who wanted Hiei dead, but Sundrak had always left Hiei feeling a little uneasy. He always seemed to be a little more than the old Delphyr let on. The voice laughed. "_Good. You do remember me. I just wanted to show you exactly what was to come for you. I just love the premonitions you get! Mark my words, Hiei. I will destroy everything you have ever loved. Everything you even remotely care about will be destroyed. And there will be Nothing you can do about it. So sit back and enjoy the show."_

Hiei cursed as he shot up from bed into a sitting position, a cold-sweat slicking his entire body. He looked around, realizing he was still in Jen's room and it had all been a dream. _No, _he thought to himself. _It was more than a dream; Too real to be a dream. That was indeed a premonition._

He only then noticed Jen was sitting up beside him, her arms wrapped around him. Worry filled her eyes as he looked down at her. He realized his entire body was shaking and the look of terror was probably plastered on his face.

His mind flashed to his premonition; Of Jen being swallowed by the dragon and another wave of fear shook him. Hiei felt her press her lips to his shoulder as he banished the images and attempted to calm himself. Her hand stroked his back slowly, helping to calm him as she whispered against his shoulder that everything was okay. _But it isn't._ He was going to be the death of her and everyone around him.

He needed to get away. He needed to put as much distance between himself and everyone else as possible. Maybe if Jen wasn't part of his life she would be okay. None of it could happen if he wasn't there, right?

He sighed. Looking down at Jen, he cupped her cheek, lowering his lips to hers, but he only felt despair. "It is time that I leave," he said quietly. "I don't belong here anymore than you belong with me."

Jen froze as she looked up at him. "What are you talking about, Hiei? We are soulmates. You don't get much closer to 'belonging together' than that."

He flinched at the sadness in her voice. "That was a lie your father told to push us into something before we were ready so that we wouldn't mate in the future. Leta told me after you had left after Carlotta." He sighed quietly. "You are a princess and I am a hybrid bandit. We aren't soulmates and we don't belong together."

Her anger rose slightly. "What about everything we have been through. Does that mean nothing to you?"

Unable to handle being so close to her, he pushed himself off the bed to stand near the window. "Don't _I_ mean anything to you," she practically whispered as grief choked her words.

Gods, what he wouldn't give to return to bed and tell her that he did care. To gather her into his arms and tell her that he would fight entire armies to keep her safe. To tell her that he _had_ to leave to keep her safe.

He couldn't though. Fighting entire armies would do no good if he was the one that was going to kill her, and she would follow him if she thought there was even the slightest hope that he cared. He needed her to believe that he felt nothing for her so that she could kill anything that she had been starting to feel for him. Move on with her life and mate with another wolf-demon who might be worthy of her.

"No, Jen. I feel nothing for you. I tried, but I do not care for you, or anyone else. I am not capable of those feelings."

With that, he forced himself out the window and ran as fast as he could manage. He felt her agony, her anger and her sadness and it was almost enough to make him want to turn back. _It is for the better. Perhaps after I kill that bastard, I could return, but for now, this is what must be done._

* * *

_A/N~ Aww, sad ending :( Anyway, imagine for a moment, that this chapter, chapter 14 and 15 were all originally intended to be one big chapter. This chapter by itself is over 6k words. I wanted to kinda make up for the lameness of last chapter by adding a few more Hiei/Jen fluffs so it took a little longer than I anticipated._

_Anyhow, the next few chapters will be a bounce back and forth between what Hiei is doing and what's going on in Aerisia. As you can imagine, next chapter is going to be a very emotional one, so those of you who get emotional with the stories you read, grab your tissue box. :o_

_Review, PM, Follow, Favorite, or Stalk :)_

_Much love ~Jessa_


	17. Chapter 17

Jen sat in bed, trying to wrap her mind around what had happened. _He's gone..._ Her chest tightened painfully as tears fought to fall from her eyes. Her body shook as she continued to stare out the window he left from.

_No, Jen. I feel nothing for you. I tried, but I do not care for you, or anyone else. I am not capable of those feelings._

Her heart clenched as his words played through her mind on a loop. How could he not care for her? Had she really misread him this whole time? Fed up with herself as her anger rose, she threw the covers away from her and got out of her bed. His scent was all over it and she couldn't handle it anymore.

With a frustrated growl, she tore off her shirt, trying to get away from his scent further. She made her way to the closet, throwing open the door to find something to wear. His scent hit her tenfold from his clothes that were neatly hung on one side. With a whimper, she sank to her knees in the closet, pulling her knees against her chest as her tears fell from her eyes.

_I do not care for you, or anyone else. I am not capable of those feelings._

She pulled her arms around her knees tighter, her body shaking as she hugged herself. She should have known it was too good to be true. Everything was going too well, and the Fates never just let anyone live in peace.

Jen sighed as more pain assailed her. This wasn't the Fates' doing though, was it? No, this was Hiei. The stubborn fire demon who made her feel all these emotions; Made her feel like she was capable of anything and then just decided it wasn't real and left. Her anger rose once more as she cut a glare to his clothes.

Before she could do anything, small arms wrapped around her neck from behind. "Sissy, what's wrong?"

Leta's small voice shook her out of her anger for a brief moment. "He's gone, Leta," she choked out.

"Why did he leave? You guys are supposed to be together. Soul mates don't leave each other," she said, her voice a full octave higher. Leta nuzzled her the back of her shoulder as her arms remained around her neck. Jen felt Leta's tears wet her skin. "He will come back, Jen-Jen. He has to. Please don't cry, Sissy."

Leta's voice was choked with her own sadness as her etheral arms tightened around Jen's neck, but Jen shook her head. "He told me he didn't feel anything for me, little love. He isn't coming back."

Leta sniffed as she floated around to stand in front of Jen. "Then he is lying, Sissy. I have seen what's in his heart and you are there. Along with Yukina, me, Kurama, Yusuke," her voice trailed off as she continued listing names, counting them on her fingers.

_ That was a lie your father told to push us into something before we were ready so that we wouldn't mate in the future. Leta told me after you had left after Carlotta._

Jen frowned as she remembered more of Hiei's words. "Leta, why did you lie and say we were soul mates?"

Leta's eyes widened as she stared at her sister. "That wasn't a lie, Sissy. You are soul mates-"

Jen cut her off, her anger rising. "He told me you said we weren't soul mates when I wasn't there. That it was just a lie that Father used to drive us apart. Why would you keep something like that up, Leta?"

Leta shook her head. "No. You are soul mates, Jen-Jen-"

Jen slammed her hands into the ground, causing Leta to whimper. "Damn it, Leta. Stop lying to me," she yelled.

Dread sank into her stomach as Leta's sob echoed in her ears. Jen looked up to meet Leta's teary eyes. "Leta...I'm sorry. I didn't-"

Before she could finish her apology, Leta shook her head disappearing with a cry of sadness. Unable to handle the pain, Jen lashed out at the clothes around her. Tears streamed down her face at an increased pace as she threw clothes from their hangers at the walls. She knocked over the stands that held her shoes, loud crashing echoing through her closet as she sank to her knees again with a sob.

In the back of her mind, she heard the door to her room open, rushed heavy foot steps coming towards her. "Jen?"

She barely recognized the voice as Salvatore's but she said nothing as she lowered her head further, her sobs forcing her body to shake uncontrollably. Her brother's large arms lifted her up and pulled her into a tight hug. Her hands clutched his shirt as she buried her face in his chest.

His soft whispers of comfort calmed her slowly, though she was unsure of just how long they stayed there like that. She pulled her head back to look up at her brother, his now jet-black eyes a stark contrast to the warm golden color they once were. She could see torment and agony in his eyes, but the rest of his body language spoke of his concern for her. "What happened, dear sister?"

Jen shook her head as she got up, digging through the mess to find a shirt and shorts. "He's gone, Salv," she said quietly, pulling the clothes on.

Salvatore's eyes widened. "What?"

Jen turned on him and snapped. "He's gone. He told me he didn't give a damn about me and left."

She cursed colorfully as she realized she couldn't even say his name. "I swear, I'm going to find that bastard and rip him apart for leading me on," she growled as she pushed past Salvatore to walk out into the room.

"Woah, woah, slow down, Jen," he said as he followed her and pulled her to a stop. "I've seen the way he acts around you. You can't hide anything from a Venatore, little sister. There must be something going on. Tell me everything that happened."

Jen growled as she moved away and sat on the bed with her head in her hands. "Everything was fine when we went to bed. He said he had a bad feeling, but that it was no big deal. I helped him relax and we fell asleep.

"When he woke up, he was shaking and his eyes were hazy like he was somewhere else entirely," Tears threatened to fall again as she forced herself to continue. "Then he snapped out of it and said he needed to leave. That we didn't belong together and he wasn't capable of feeling anything for me."

Jen squeezed her eyes shut as his words played through her head again. His voice had been so _cold._ Yet, thinking back, she could almost hear something else in his voice; See something in his eyes.

She shook her head as she banished the idea. It must have been her imagination. All of it must have been her imagination. She was worthless to him. Nothing but a curiousity that he finally got bored of.

"Maybe something startled him. From what Kurama says, Hiei gets premonitions of the future from time to time," her brother said.

Jen frowned as she looked up at him, sniffling pathetically. "Premonitions?"

Salvatore nodded. "It comes with his Jagan, along with telepathy, empathy, telekinesis and so on. His mind is so powerful that it catches the wave-lengths of the Oracles sometimes, and he gets glimpses of the future. According to Kurama, they can be rather distorted, and he never knows when it will happen, nor any of the surrounding information or events. I guess it's like watching a snippet of a movie without knowing anything about it."

Jen sighed. "But why lie? I've never known Hie-him to lie to me," she said, still frustrated at herself that she could even manage to say his name.

Salvatore shrugged. "Maybe he was trying to protect you. Give him some time to come back to his senses, Jen, or straighten out everything he needs to straighten out."

Jen nodded numbly, not really hearing his words. She was afraid to really contemplate anything in case she was just setting herself up for more pain. Time she could do though, distracting herself long enough for him to either come back, or forget him entirely.

Her body shuddered with another wave of pain at that thought. She knew better. She'd never be able to forget Hiei.

* * *

Hiei walked through one of the run-down, bandit infested cities, his chest aching. Ever since he had left Jen, he couldn't shake the way her agony rang in his ears. Leaving her had been one of the most difficult things he had to do.

He glanced up at the sky, deciding he needed to find a place to stay soon. A summer storm would be blowing in tonight, and there was no way he was going to get caught outside in the violent storm.

He found a small inn near by and walked in. He arched a brow as the clerk squeaked , jumping nearly three feet in the air when his eyes landed on Hiei. "C-can I he-help you, Sir?"

"I need a room," he said, his voice cold and full of malice. These emotions of anger were what he was used to; Comfortable with. He knew exactly where his limits were and what he was capable of. With anger came confidence as he could feel his cold and calculating self falling back together. No one could stand ever stand against him once he was in the right zone. Sundrak had another thing coming if he thought he could actually have power over Hiei.

The cowardly demon nodded and turned to the wall behind him, his hands shaking as he grabbed a key off the wall and handed it to him, quickly retracting as soon as Hiei took the key. "D-D-down the hall and to th-the le-left. Eighteen is the room number."

Hiei turned silently, disgusted with the cowardice of the lowly demon, as he walked towards his room. Then again, this was what he was used to. Being regarded as the monster he was. He let himself in, glancing around the small, poorly furnished room.

With a sigh, he closed and locked the door, pulling off his cloak and setting his sword on the bed. Without warning, a small blue blur shot through the room, hitting him square in the chest. Knocking him off balance, he hit the ground hard, too stunned to really move. The blur turned out to be Leta, her tiny fists beating against his chest as she yelled at him incoherently.

Hiei held her at arms length by her shoulders. He visibly flinched. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at him with so much pain, it felt like a hot blade had sliced straight through his chest. He looked down at the ground, disgusted with himself, knowing he was the cause of her pain. _So much for that cold and calculating thing._

"Why did you lie to my Jen-Jen, Hiei-dessi? Why," she shouted at him as she started struggling in his grip to continue her attack. "She thinks I lied, Dessi. I didn't lie. I never lie. I'm a good girl," she whimpered, the pain in Hiei's chest increasing with each word.

He had given up holding her back and let her return to hitting his chest over and over again. Finally, the hitting stopped, Leta burying her face in his chest, saying "I'm a good girl," repeatedly between her sobs.

Hiei carefully wrapped his arms around the shaking frame of the small girl, not knowing what he could do. He spoke quietly. "I had to leave, little onna. She would be in danger if I stayed."

Leta sniffled as she looked up at him. "So you still care about her," she asked sniffling again as hope glittered in her teary eyes. "You know I didn't lie, right Dessi?"

He stroked her etheral hair. "I know, little onna."

She hit him hard in the chest, taking him by surprise as she glared at him, her lower lip sticking out slightly. "Then why did you lie to her!"

"I had to. To keep her safe."

Leta let out a sound of indignation. "Don't talk to me about keeping her safe, Dessi. I know whether or not she's safe and everything was just fine before you left. Now my Jen-Jen is sad, and that makes me unhappy, Dessi," she said, hitting him again to punctuate the end of her statement.

Hiei kept his temper in check as he shook his head. "No, little onna. An old enemy is after me, and he knows about Jen and Yukina. I can't let him hurt them to try to get to me."

Leta frowned. "What kind of stupid logic is that? You don't want them to get hurt, so you leave them?" Hiei only nodded in response before Leta continued. "If this guy already knows about them, how would leaving make them safe? It just means you aren't there to protect them yourself."

His blood ran cold at the six-year-old's logic. She had a point, but it didn't change anything. "Not when I'm the one who will kill them all, little onna."

Leta tilted her head. "Now why would you do a silly thing like that?"

Hiei sighed. "I saw it in a premonition. Yukina dies and I lose control and destroy everyone around me, Jen included."

Leta scoffed. "So then we make sure Yukina is safe," she said with a shrug. "That's still something you can do better if you are there and not off running around the Makai." She finished her statement by waving her arms around.

Hiei shook his head. "I will not risk them, little onna. I will find Sundrak and kill him to ensure Jen and Yukina's safety."

Leta wrinkled her nose. "Is that the evil guy's name? Sundrak?"

Hiei nodded and Leta's frown increased. "I don't like his name, Dessi. It just sounds gross and mean."

Hiei shook his head a little, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. He doubted he could manage much more, considering the heavy pain that still hung in his chest. He blew out a sigh. "You should go, little onna."

Leta scoffed. "Like anything can happen to me, Dessi. I'm a ghost, remember? No one can hurt me! I'm invincible," she said with a smile.

Hiei arched a brow. The young ghost did have a point, though he never mentioned her needing to leave being related to her safety. But to be completely honest, even though he really didn't want to admit it, he didn't want to be alone right now. He'd just hurt the woman who had come to mean more to him than he even cared to admit.

Leta sniffled as she wrapped her arms around Hiei's neck, like she could read his mind. "Don't worry, Dessi. Everything will be okay. We are gonna get this Sundrak guy, and I'll make sure Jen and Yukina stay safe. I'll even let you know how everything is going back home."

Hiei nodded slightly, wrapping an arm around Leta, only partially realizing they were still sitting in the middle of the floor. "Do not tell Jen about this, little onna."

Leta scoffed as she let go of his neck, standing on his lap with her hands on her hips. "I know my sissy, Dessi. If I told her, she would get into lots of trouble to try to find you and help you. I promise I won't tell Jen-Jen, but you gotta promise that we'll go back home as soon as we deal with this meanie."

Hiei arched a brow, not sure when this turned into a 'we' situation. "Alright, little onna."

Leta stuck her lower lip out as she frowned. "Promise," she urged.

"You have my word, little onna. We will return to Aerisia."

Leta's eyes instantly lit up. "Yay!"

Her happiness warmed him a little as he stood up with a sigh. Leta turned a serious look on him. "Now, you need to get some sleeps, Dessi. We've got a bad guy to get tomorrow!"

She pushed him towards the bed, floating behind him. He was too tired to try to fight against her. Hiei flopped down on the bed beside his sword, his hand resting on the hilt. Leta crawled under his arm and curled up in a ball just above his shoulder. His eyes widened as she settled in with her eyes closed. "Night night, Dessi," she mumbled as she let out a sigh.

Still a bit shocked at the contact of the young girl, Hiei spoke quietly. "Goodnight, little onna."

How was this little girl so comfortable around him? How did she trust him so easily? _And when the Hell did I become okay with this?_ He sighed as he shifted carefully, Leta already fast asleep with the tiniest snore.

He supposed the little girl didn't really have anything to be afraid of anyway, considering he couldn't hurt her even if he wanted to. She was already dead, so she couldn't really fear for her life.

Leta shifted a little in her sleep and her arm stretched out, grabbing a handful of his hair. She mumbled happily in her sleep incoherently and Hiei relaxed to a degree, let himself fall into a light sleep.

* * *

Jen sighed as she looked around the clearing that she would normally have her sparring match with Hiei around now. She had just finished an intense two-hour session with Nykairren, who still threw her around pretty easily. Jen could at least bounce back now, and her recovery was a lot faster, but her entire body ached from the constant stream of energy she forced to surround her body.

Yusuke had taught her how to keep her energy controlled outside of her body, forming a thin, but concentrated, layer of energy over her body. It was draining, but she was able to control it for a little bit longer each day, and it served as a good shield to absorb some of the damage.

The sun had disappeared a few hours ago, a cool breeze finally floating in the air as she turned towards the inn. As Jen walked in, she saw Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Yukina, Avidan, Selene, Salvatore and Blythe sitting around the hearth. From what Jen could tell, they were sharing stories of their past, their joy reaching her ears.

Avidan was the first to notice Jen as he jumped up to run over to her. "Jenny! You are just in time! I was just about to tell everyone about our first visit to the human world."

Jen choked a little on a laugh. "I don't think they need to know how we battled a mighty printer and nearly lost."

Yusuke and Kuwabara let out a bark of laughter. Jen shook her head deciding to let Avidan lead her over to the group to sit down as Avidan started their tale about the human contraption.

"So here we are, first time in the human world, already kind of spooked because we were nearly plowed over by a couple cars when we walk into this store, right?"

Jen leaned her head back and closed her eyes as she listened to the story. She had always loved the way Avidan told stories. He was always animated and his sense of humor kept her laughing.

"Back in the corner of this little store, which, if I recall correctly, was called Staples, there were a bunch of crazy looking machines. They were these rectangles with like a _huuge_ mouth that stretched all the way across it.

"So Jen and I approach them with curiousity. All of the sudden, when I get close to one, it starts to growl ferrociously and shake. After it stopped, I look closer, at the mouth of the beast. Jen's right behind me as I poke at it.

"With another growl, the machine tries to eat my hand! So Jen and I proceed to smash it, surprisingly easily, with a yell. After that, a couple humans started yelling at us, so we decided to run, thinking these machines had some kind of mind control over the humans. We finally get away and escape back to the Makai and I tell ya. It was at least another three months before we ever went back. We told my dad about the evil mind-controlling machines and he told us they were just printers, and the humans were mad at us because we destroyed one of their products."

Avidan stretched back with a sigh as he finished. "Needless to say, our dads made us do some research on the human world and their contraptions before they let us go back."

Yusuke and Kuwabara were nearly blue in the face from laughing so hard. Salvatore was smirking at the memory, and Yukina, Blythe and Selene were giggling softly. Even Jen had to smile. They had been so young and naive at the time, but their adventures into human world had been some of the best.

After Yusuke and Kuwabara finally recovered from their laughter, Yusuke looked over to Jen. "Hey Jen, where's Hiei?"

Jen flinched a little. "He left."

Yusuke shrugged a little. "Yeah he does that sometimes. He will be back."

He said nothing more on the subject as he turned his attention back to the story telling. She looked over to see sadness in Yukina's eyes. If she didn't know any better, she could swear Yukina knew Hiei was her brother. Yukina quietly excused herself to turn in for the night.

Selene watched her silently with concern in her eyes before getting up and following her. Jen had no idea why, but Selene had always been nearly as protective of Yukina as Hiei was. They seemed to have some kind of past together, but Selene had never elaborated. She definitely knew that Hiei was Yukina's brother though. Jen could tell that much.

Tiredness tugging at her, Jen stood up, quietly wishing everyone a good night before making her way to her room. Part of her dreaded getting back into the bed that smelled like Hiei, but part of her couldn't wait to surround herself with his scent again. She missed him, and despite the pain, she needed something to remind her of him.

After closing her door, she made her way over to the closet, surprised to find everything neatly put back together. _Such a wonderful big brother,_ she thought to herself as she grabbed a large dark blue t-shirt and changed into it.

She slid under the blanket as she sank into bed, Hiei's scent instantly assailing her senses. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, her muscles, that she only now noticed had been tense, slowly relaxing. _Come home soon, Hiei. Please._

* * *

Jen looked around, finding herself in a dimly lit room and a completely different bed. Her body was suddenly covered by a shadow of a man looming over her. She started to struggle a little but the man dropped his head to her ear. "Shh, onna."

Jen shivered, Hiei's deep voice rumbling his chest as he solidified above her and his body pressed against hers. His lips dropped to her neck, causing sparks to skitter over her body. His hands trailed over her body as his lips captured hers in a passionate kiss, his hot skin under her hands rippling against her touch.

As one hand started a slow circle on her breast, Hiei's other hand came up between her thighs to tease her sensitive flesh. His lips never left hers as she moaned, Hiei taking the opportunity to slide his tongue in and explore her mouth. He slid his tongue down one of her fangs before softly nipping her lower lip. It was heaven and hell all at once as his teasing continued.

Hiei pulled back from the kiss a fraction of an inch, his gaze searing her as his fangs lengthened between his parted lips. "You are mine, Onna," he said with a feral growl as he dropped his head to her neck, sinking his fangs in at the extact time he thrust into her.

Jen shot up from her bed, looking around to find herself alone in her room, her cheeks flushed. Her breathing labored, she fell back onto the bed with a huff._ Why do all of the good dreams end right before they start to get really good?_

* * *

_A/N~ So, I thought a cute Leta scene, a funny story and little dream would help make up for all the sadness and the fact the Hiei left Jen. Don't worry though, I have the next 5 chapters or so planned out, including Jen and Hiei reuniting! :D_

_Anyway, this was just kinda the reprecussions of Hiei leaving, the next chapter will actually have some action :P_

_Special thanks to Vhee, who kept me on task with an amazing and wacky conversation :P She has a fic called Getting Soft that is fantastic! So go read it :) Her pen name is Just 2 Dream of You. Read it~ :3_

_I also want to have a mini-celebration for Blood Ties reaching 50k words and breaking 1,000 visitors this month with the last chapter. Yayyy! Balloons, confetti and party hats - Go!_

_Oooh~ I also made a cover picture...but I'm too lazy to color it :P Anyone wanna color it for me? :3 I will probably make a cover for Leta's Guide to the Universe next because I have a cute idea. :P_

_Review, Favorite, Follow, PM, Stalk, and/or Enjoy :)_

_Much Love ~Jessa_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Four months later...**_

Hiei sighed in frustration as he resheathed his sword. That was the fifth member of Sundrak's men that went suicidal on him, this one slashing his own throat with a dagger. _I really need to disarm them before questioning._

He applied pressure to the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginnings of a migraine coming on. Hiei knew he was getting close to Sundrak, but pin-pointing him was starting becoming a huge problem. With a growl, he turned and left the alley he had cornered Sundrak's clown in and headed toward the inn he had been staying in.

_Is that __**The**__ Hiei? Mukuro's second in command?_

Hiei frowned at the female voice in his head. Turning he found a girl staring at him with wide eyes.

_I thought he would be taller._

With a glare, Hiei took a step toward her, but she dashed away.

_Creep. Who does he think he is scaring people away like that._

His glare intensified at another voice, this one male, entering his thoughts. Last time he checked, his mental barriers were in tact. The thoughts of others shouldn't be invading his thoughts.

_What an ass._

Another voice made him feel like he was losing his mind. As looked around, the thoughts of the people on the street started overwhelming his mind. With a growl he picked up his pace to the inn, focused on getting away from everyone as the thoughts of everyone around him intensified.

His migraine was getting worse by the second, but as he neared the inn, a soft humming started dim in his mind. He focused on the gentle female voice as it slowly grew louder, the closer he got. As he entered the inn, all the voices slowly faded from his mind. Nearing his room, he could physically hear the soothing sound.

Opening the door, Hiei found Leta twirling around the room with her eyes closed, her little voice changing from a hum to words.

_"Someone holds me safe and warm. _

_ Horses prance through a silver storm. _

_ Figures dancing gracefully across my memory._

_ Far away, Long ago. _

_ Glowing dim as an ember. _

_ Things my heart used to know._

_ Things it yearns to-"_

Leta crashed into his legs as she spun around the room. She jumped back with a yelp before she shouted at him. "Don't scare me like, Dessi!"

Hiei arched a brow. "What were you doing?"

Leta frowned at him. "Singing and dancing?" Hiei tilted his head in confusion and Leta's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you have never sung or danced," she said, incredulously.

Hiei's confused looked turned to an arched stare. "Little onna, I was a bandit."

Leta huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "So?! That doesn't mean anything!"

Hiei's brow remained arched as he shook his head and walked further into the room, pulling his sword and cloak off as he sat down on the bed. Leta floated over and sat down next him. "I take it you still didn't find out where Sundrak is hiding, huh," she said quietly as she looked at her feet dangling off the side of the bed.

"Hn."

Leta sighed before she hopped up and stood on his knee so she was eye-level with him. "It's okay, Dessi. We will find him, and then we will go back home," she said with a smile. "But for now, you should learn about singing and dancing!"

Hiei scoffed but said nothing. Leta could talk him into a lot of things, but making a fool out of himself by prancing about and making strange noises? No; Just no. He'd sooner endure the torture of the seven Hells for the rest of eternity.

Leta grabbed his hand and started to float towards the center of the room, but was stopped by Hiei refusing to stand. She turned on him with a confused look that turned to a glare. "Come on, Dessi. It will be fun!"

Hiei arched a brow. "I don't do 'fun' little onna," he said, his tone showing he was carefully keeping his temper in check. He still had a massive headache and his frustration from not finding any useful leads on Sundrak had been building exponentially.

Leta huffed as she tugged on his hand again. "Oh, don't be such a debbie downer. You don't have to play the whole tough guy act when no one is around."

Hiei frowned. _Debbie downer?_ _What in the Hells is that?_ "Hn."

Leta was suddenly in his face, causing slight surprise to see her so close, her hands now on her hips as she glared at him. Hiei's finger was still in one hand as she started waving her hands around as she spoke. "What is with you and saying 'hn' all the time!? It isn't even a word! It's just a short grunt that isn't even a full grunt. You know, you could actually _try _to form complete sentences once in a while."

"Litte onna," he warned, his control on his temper nearing its breaking point.

"Don't 'little onna' me," she growled, her voice a perfect mimic of his own when she said 'little onna.' Hiei's eyes widened. "I'm a person, you know. A living, breathing, person," she paused for a second, her anger fleeting from her face as she looked up in thought. "Well, sort of, but you know what I mean," she finished, her anger returning as she cut a glare to him.

Hiei sighed. "What is your point, little onna."

Her eyes widened for a second before they cut back to a glare. "My point is that people deserve a little more than stupid little grunts as a response to everything!"

As she flailed her arm out, Hiei pulled his hand out of her grasp and returned her glare. "This is who I am, little onna," he growled.

Leta crossed her arms with a huff. "Don't give that line of phony mumbo-jumbo, Dessi. You are who you decide to be. If you aren't happy with something, you change it. It's simple."

Hiei growled as he stood and walked away from her to the other side of the room. His anger directed at himself for a moment, as he realized he didn't particularly have anywhere to go, so he settled for glaring at the wall as he crossed his arms. "Perhaps I do not want to change it," he said with a growl, trying to burn a hole into the wall with his glare.

"Why would you want to be a stupid, grunting, angry, anti-social, childish-"

Hiei growled in anger as he turned on her, dropping his arms to his sides as his fists clenched and unclenched. "Enough," he snarled.

Leta huffed at him again, not phased by his anger. "What? That is how you are acting! You ruin the fun in things by being stupid and childish."

"Stupid and childish is prancing around a room ridiculously, making weird noises from your throat that barely resemble words," he shouted.

Leta's jaw dropped, an indignant sound coming from her mouth as her eyes returned to snapping fire. "No, that's called living your life and enjoying it! That's having fun! Just because you can't give up your stupid 'I'm so bad' act long enough to actually try living doesn't mean you get to call it stupid and childish!'

Hiei growled at her. "Coming from a dead child, I can hardly agree with that twisted sense of logic." His voice was low and icy.

Hurt danced in Leta's eyes for a moment before her anger burned once again. "What does that say about you, if a dead girl is more alive than you are?"

Her voice was calmed, but anger still tinted her words. Hiei opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He realized he had no response. He sighed out of frustration, but said nothing as he turned his gaze to glare out the window. "It is who I am, little onna," he said finally.

Leta scoffed. "You used to talk a lot more before you left Aerisia," she said pouting. "You even used to seem happy then too. I know you miss them, Dessi, but we'll be home again soon. Keep your head up."

Hiei glanced at Leta out of the corner of his eye. "I don't miss them."

Leta sighed and shook her head. "Whatever you say, Dessi."

He had a feeling she didn't believe him, but he let it go, tired of the arguing. He realized how ridiculous he must have looked, arguing with a little ghost girl. With a sigh he moved back to the bed, lying down silently with his back to Leta.

She seemed to let the whole singing and dancing thing go as she laid down behind him on the pillow. Thinking back to before he came into the room, Hiei frowned. "Why aren't my barriers working right," he asked suddenly.

Leta 'hmm'd quietly before she sat up. He turned on his back to look over to her rubbing her eyes. "What do you mean barriers?"

"I keep mental barriers up at all times so I don't have to hear everyone's thoughts all the time."

Leta tilted her head to the side with her finger on her chin as she contemplated quietly. "Maybe it's 'cause you have been so far apart from Jen-Jen."

Hiei frowned. "I never had this problem before."

Leta nodded. "Of course you didn't, because your soul didn't know what it meant to be whole."

Hiei's frown intensified in confusion. Leta tilted her head as she looked at him. "Don't you know anything about souls, Dessi?"

Hiei just raised an eyebrow in response. "Hm, right. Bandits don't really care about that kinda stuff, huh?" She laughed quietly before shifting to cross her legs under her. "Basically when someone is born, they are given two halves of two souls. The other two are given to someone else who is deemed worthy of the other person. Sometimes it takes a hundred years to find the right person to carry the other halves.

"Once both souls are born, they are drawn to each other. Like most things, you don't really realize you are incomplete until you know what it means to be complete. If you two spent long enough apart, your energy would eventually go back to how they used to be, unless you two physically bonded. If that was the case, your soul would slowly die."

Hiei nodded slightly. He wasn't particularly happy that he was effected this way. It could cause problems with going after Sundrak. "We need to wait until my energy is back to normal before I kill him."

Leta looked up at him sadly, but seemed to understand. "We'll get back home, Dessi," she said with a smile.

Hiei nodded as Leta laid back down, curling into his side as he remained on his back. He sighed as he stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. Did he really want to have such a liability? Not being able to manage something as simple as holding his mental barrier meant his most basic energy attacks would be unreliable at best. Hiei wasn't entirely sure he wanted to return to Aerisia anymore, knowing if he stayed away from Jen long enough, he would eventually be back to normal.

A strange heavy feeling pressed against his chest. It felt as if someone was sitting on him. He supposed that meant that he didn't like the idea of not returning to Aerisia, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't have his strength reliant on whether or not he remained near Jen. With a sigh, he pushed all thoughts out of his and forced himself into sleep.

* * *

Jen growled in frustration as her energy snapped back on her yet again, throwing her back into the ground before Kurama even had to land a hit on her. Her energy had been on the fritz the past couple days. The only thing she could think of was that winter was coming, but she had never been affected to this extent. _Maybe it is because this is the first winter that I've really mastered my energy._

With a sigh, she pulled herself up, Kurama looking at her with worry in his eyes even though he chose to say nothing. This was training; They could talk about what was happening when they finished. Real fights didn't stop to try to figure out what was wrong, and training was no different. That's what Genkai drilled into her head at least.

Jen frowned as a tickling feeling went over her neck. She recognized the feeling as Amber contacting her, using the machine that sent out mental waves to who Amber wanted to contact, as she pulled out a small ear piece the human tech had given her. The ear piece had a small microphone that extended over her cheek bone so she could respond. "What's wrong," she asked as she placed the contraption in her ear and pressed the button.

"Why do you always assume it's something wrong when I call," Amber said with a huff.

"Because it usually is."

Jen could hear Amber's smile in her voice as she spoke. "Well, nothin' is really wrong. Just your basic demon spotted along the kingdom walls. Thought you would want to go check him out. He looks like he's looking for someone."

Jen frowned. "Alright, thanks, Amber. I'll go check it out."

"No problem! Techie out," she said as she broke off the connection.

Jen pulled the ear piece of and glanced at Kurama. "Care to accompany?"

She knew she didn't need to explain it to him. Kurama's hearing was far better than hers. No doubt he could pick up conversations in the palace if he concentrated on it. He nodded slightly, still wearing his worried look as they started towards the wall surrounding Aerisia. "Don't worry about it," she said as they walked. "My energy always gets hinky around winter."

Kurama frowned. "It wasn't this severe last year."

Jen shrugged. "I think it might have to do with how much I've been working with my energy and getting stronger. I never really used it before so it must be that."

Kurama shrugged. "If I may present an alternate possibilty. It could be because you have been apart from Hiei for so long."

Jen's face fell into a glare. "I don't see how that would change anything."

"After soulmates meet each other-"

"I know about soul mates, Fox-brother," she snapped, surprising Kurama.

Jen sighed quietly. "I'm sorry. It is a touchy subject. I figured he would be back by now. Even Leta won't talk to me."

Kurama hm'd quietly but chose to say nothing on the subject as they neared where the demon was. Kurama fell into the shadows as Jen approached the stranger. She figured it was in case he tried to run. Kurama was always preparing for all scenarios.

As the demon caught sight of Jen, he started to run the other direction, nearly crashing into Kurama. Jen jumped to cut him off as he tried to dart the other way. "Cool your jets, intruder. We just want to know why you are here."

The male glared at Jen. "I'm looking for a fire demon. Last we heard, he was here."

Jen frowned, but held her calm. _They are looking for Hiei? Does he know people are looking for him? Focus. _Jen arched a brow as she crossed her arms. "We?"

He shrugged. "My boss. He has a bone to pick with this fire demon. Guess he stole something from boss-man a long time ago. Know where I can find him for a little talk?"

Jen could tell this was just a messenger. No one in their right mind would send someone so talkative, much less weak after Hiei. "He left here several months ago. The prick could be dead for all I know," she said, a little venom entering her voice.

The male's eyes widened. "You're that girl my boss was talking about! The one the fire demon likes so much. Yeah, Boss-man would be pleased if I brought you to him."

Jen's brow arched. "I don't know what out-dated source of information you have, but he doesn't give a damn about me. He told me himself before he left."

The demon looked sad for a second. "Damn. Oh well," he looked back up at her with menace. "Still, worth a shot."

He launched at her and Jen easily dodged him, spinning to kick him hard in the side. As he fell to the ground, Jen caught him by the back of his shirt and hoisted him up to pin him against a tree with his back to her. "Alright, buddy. Now you have involved me, and that makes me interested. Who is your boss."

He seemed like he wasn't going to talk and Jen moved to hit him between the shoulder blades when Kurama's voice stopped her. "If I may?"

She looked back to see mischief glimmering in his eyes. That was a look she knew all too well. She released the demon, holding her hands up as she walked the few steps to Kurama. "All yours."

Kurama approached the male slowly, who looked up at him mockingly. "What are you going to do, Pretty Boy?"

Kurama's eyes flashed gold for a second. He wordlessly pulled a seed from his hair. With a small fair of energy, the seed bloomed into a small baby-blue flower. The male demon shivered slightly, trying to mask his fear. "L-look buddy. It's pretty flower and all, but you aren't really my type."

Kurama looked up at him cooly. "This flower does something very interesting. It morphs into your greatest fear and toys with you."

As he spoke, the flower didn't change at all, but the male's eyes widened in fear at it, as if it actually was. "No, no! Please! Anything but that!"

The flower grew more, Kurama setting the flower on the ground beside the demon. He tried to crawl away but vines came up from the ground, creating a cage around him. The male demon squeaked. "Alright, alright, alright! What do you want?"

Kurama's eyes narrowed in victory. "Who sent you?"

"Hi-His name is Sundrak. Some big, bad Delphyr. He's becoming something of a leader in the Northwest."

"Where do we find him?"

The demon shrugged. "I don't know. He's always moving around and doesn't ever tell us anything. We only know about his base in the Northwest."

Kurama nodded slightly, seeming deep in thought. "Thank you for your cooperation," he said quietly as he turned to walk past Jen.

The demon shrieked as he flattened against the side of the vine-cage, staring at the small blue flower in fear as the flower pulsed softly. "Wait! You can't leave me here!"

Without even turning back to him, Kurama waved his hand. The blue flower grew as the vines fell away. The demon sceamed as the flower came down on him, swallowing him whole.

Jen followed him as they neared the palace, barely phased. She was accustomed to Kurama's deadly plants. "We need to tell Hiei."

Kurama turned to her with a questioning look. "I don't think that is a good idea, Jenna," he said, using his personal nickname for her. "Hiei can take care of himself."

Jen shook her head. "He can only take care of himself if he knows about the threat. Please, Kurama. This is important to me," she said looking up at him pleadingly.

Kurama sighed, indecision in his eyes. "You know no one else is going to be okay with you going."

Jen sighed. "I know. That's why we can't tell them. Just you and I. You know your way around the bandit cities and how to interact with them."

Kurama sighed looking out at the sun. "We need to leave in the night if you don't want anyone to try to intervene."

Jen nodded. "I know. Meet you tonight at the old meeting place," she said with a smirk.

Kurama's eyes danced with memories of their mischief that always started with meeting at the western corner of the Aerisian territory. He nodded silently before they walked into the palace. _Just like old times._

* * *

Hiei awoke with a start to a high pitched scream. Pressure increased against his side as he shot up. He noticed Leta shaking and wailing beside him. He tried to touch her to calm her, but it caused her to scream louder. "Little onna," he said quietly.

Leta didn't even hear him as she continued sobbing with her eyes shut tight. _What is going on with her?_ He suddenly remembered a time when Leta had rushed to Jen in the middle of the night in the same state. She was having a nightmare. What was it that Jen did? He cursed silently. The lullaby.

That had been where he recognized the soft melody Leta had been humming. Jen had hummed it to her softly to calm her down. Leta was completely unreachable at this point, wailing as she flailed her arms every time he tried to touch her.

With a sigh, he focused on remembering the melody. He started very quietly, still trying to convince himself that she would eventually just calm down on her own. She started to calm ever-so-slightly and he decided it was working. Hiei hummed a little louder, though it was barely audible to begin with between the low-register of his voice and how quiet he was humming.

Leta finally didn't scream when he touched her, though she was still sobbing. He carefully pulled her against his chest, his hand stroking her hair. Hiei had no idea what he was doing, he relied on the memory he had of Jen comforting her little sister like this.

After several minutes of sitting like this, with Leta curled against his chest, his arms cradling her gentley as he hummed the soothing melody, Leta finally relaxed as she cuddled into his chest. WIth a sigh, he laid back, keeping Leta against his chest as her hand came up to bury itself in his hair. He had noticed of the last few months that hair seemed to calm Leta, so he didn't complain. She didn't pull his hair or anything; Just kept her hand there.

Leta sighed quietly. "You have a beautiful voice, Dessi," she mumbled, a peaceful sleep taking her immediately after.

Hiei hn'd softly before he drifted back to sleep himself. _Maybe that wasn't so bad._ He scoffed at himself. _Still would take the torture of the Seven Hells..._

* * *

_A/N~ I think I rewrote this chapter at least twelve times. Seriously, every time I wrote it, I wasn't happy with it. I think it might have been because I originally had Hiei give in to Leta in the first scene after the argument, and I just can't envision Hiei doing that, even with all the changes that are happening for him. So I decided to change it up, and I'm pretty pleased with it now. :D The next three chapters should come pretty quickly, considering I pretty much have them written out in my head. They are, without a doubt, my favorite chapters that I intend to write :)_

_Read, review, favorite, PM, follow, stalk; Enjoy._

_Thank you! :3_

_Much love ~Jessa_


	19. Chapter 19

Jen and Kurama walked down one of the streets of a Northwestern city. She had a black cloak over her head that wrapped tightly around her torso, with black pants and black boots. Kurama had suggested the cloak to conceal her identity.

On her left thigh, she had a gun she had been training with lately strapped in a holister and a dagger sheathed across the back of her belt. Kurama had been dressed in his usual attire, putting off his energy as a warning to stay away more than anything.

They turned a corner and found themselves headed off by a large group of grunts. Kurama and Jen remained calm, studying them carefully. They didn't seem like much, but their sheer numbers would be a problem.

One of the grunts stepped forward, a heavy drawl accenting his words. "That there is a pretty piece ya got on yer thigh, girlie. 'At's a nice lookin' thigh too."

Jen arched a brow, but said nothing. They braced themselves for an attack but it never came. A smooth lilting female voice came from behind them. Her voice was playful, yet sultry, and you could hear the deadliness in her voice. "Now, now, Bubba. No scaring the children."

Jen turned to see the woman. Even she had to admit the woman was incredibly beautiful. Her firey red hair was in a pixie-style cut, the hair framing her face nearly brushing her collarbone. Her eyes were so light blue, they were nearly grey. Had the woman's eyes not been scanning the area, Jen would have thought she was blind.

She wore a form-fitting black three-quarter sleeve jacket with a tight tank top that matched the color of her hair. Black fingerless leather gloves covered her palms and wrists. Black cargo pants and boots completed her ensemble. Guns were strapped to both of her thighs. The woman was lean, though her womanly curves were still ample. Her lips were turned up in a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"D'aww, come on, Minnie. I just wanted a little fun. 'At too much to ask?"

The woman arched a brow. "Considering you are oogling the Queen of Aerisia, I'd say it is a bit much, yes."

Jen froze, turning a glare on the woman. Jen had made sure her energy was completely concealed. So how did this 'Minnie' know who she was? Before Jen could say anything, the woman waved her hand dismissively. "Before you get your panties in a bunch, I recognized the gun. Nykairren is an old-," she paused for a moment. "Friend," she finished with a slow smile. "Last I heard, he was in Aerisia. Just had to see your eyes to know you were the Queen."

Jen sighed slightly, pleased her energy hadn't betrayed her. "My name is Jenista," she mumbled.

The woman laughed quietly. "I know. There has been quite a bit of talk about you on the streets. My name is Minerva," she said, walking forward, offering her hand.

Jen shook it, nodding silently. Kurama spoke up. "I wasn't aware there were any phasewalkers still in existence. Zeus had them extirminated."

Minerva flinched slightly but nodded. "I had been exiled a few weeks prior to the massacre. I suppose it was the nicest thing my parents ever did for me," she said with a smirk. Minerva turned her gaze back to Jen. "I understand someone wants the Aerisians eliminated too," she said seriously.

Jen nodded quietly. "We still don't know who."

Minerva nodded slowly, tapping her chin while deep in thought. A black cat hopped up onto Minerva's shoulder and she looked at him questioningly. "Yes, Malachai?"

The cat hopped off her shoulder and shifted into a man in mid-air. His hair was long and black, tied back into a loosely. Somehow, despite having just shifted, he was fully clothed in black. He had one green eye and one gold eye, standing out against his dark-tanned skin.

"According to the whispers through out Spirit World, Enma was the one who put out the order. No one but the God himself knows why though. Theories range from it being a punishment for his son working against him to him fearing the Aerisians' ability to adapt and survive."

Jen frowned slightly. "How did you hear all of this?"

The man turned to Jen fully. He was admittedly attractive, but nothing compared to Hiei, in her opinion. His facial features were sharp, the guarded look in his eyes reminding her of her fire demon's eyes. "I am a Shadow Shifter. I can get anywhere I want and hear whatever I want."

Jen nodded slightly. Shadow Shifters were Shadow demons who were believed to be cursed because they had the ability to shift into a black cat or raven. Jen had heard about Shadow Shifters, but never met one. Between that and his mismatching eyes, Jen assumed he had been exiled from his home territory at a fairly young age. "Makes sense."

Minerva sighed slightly before looking up at the large group that was still standing around. She waved her hand. "Alright, shoo. Show is over. You boys know you aren't getting a piece of her, so get lost!"

All the men but one, the one who had spoken first, turned to leave begrudgingly. Bubba, as Minerva called him, walked up with a saunter. He was huge, nearly ten inches taller than Kurama and twice his size in width. He held a large hand out to Jen. "Sorry 'bout earlier, lass. Can't blame a guy for tryin' though," he said, his thick drawl peaking her curiousity as she took his hand.

Bubba had messy brown hair that fell just past his brow-line, spiked out haphazardly. His forest green eyes were bright and welcoming, though something seemed to lurk just behind that warm look. "No problem. Where are you from?"

Bubba shrugged a little as he dropped her hand. "Originally from the South in the human world. Family dropped me there to try 'n' hide me. Human family took me in. Far as I'm concerned, that there is my real family. Not them uppity earth demons that dun' threw me out."

Jen nodded slightly. That explains the strange accent then. She looked at the three demons in front of her. They seemed like an odd team, but she figured it must have worked nicely. Bubba was the brute strength, Malachai was the intellegence and stealth and Minerva was the beauty with a surprise up her sleeve.

Phasewalkers could cross dimensions freely, much like Shadow demons could, but more than just the three worlds. They were able to cross into the dimensions in between worlds as well, their after image sending a pulse of highly dangerous electricity into anyone who had been touching them, or moving into the space the phasewalker had previously occupied.

From what Jen remembered, phasewalkers were pretty much forgotten, which must have been a killer advantage for Minerva. No one would be able to place her heritage and strengths. _Unless she comes across someone like Kurama, who had the memory of an elephant._

Jen turned her attention to Malachai. "How do you manage to shift without coming back completely naked?"

Malachai had a ghost of a smirk on his lips, as if he was pleased that Jen had been thinking about him naked. Granted it was because she was a shifter, and not being able to keep clothes on made for a few uncomfortable situations. "Minerva is an exceptional seamstress. She uses a little bit of her energy so that the clothes essentially move to another dimension when you shift, and you call them back when you wish to shift back."

Jen's eyes widened. "Incredible."

Minerva smirked with pride. "Why yes, I am," she said with a laugh. "I can make one for you, if you stick around long enough."

Jen smiled slightly. "That would be appreciated, but I don't know how long we will be here. I'm looking for someone. I'll most likely be returning to Aerisia after I find him."

Minerva jerked her head over to the left. "Take a walk with us. Our place isn't far from here and night's going to be here soon. Tell me about who you are looking for and we'll see what we can dig up. Malachai is good at finding people," she finished with a seductive smile as she glanced over at him, Malachai smirking in response.

Jen glanced at Kurama to make sure he agreed before nodding. They started walking and Jen started the story about Hiei leaving and the demon coming to Aerisia from Sundrak. From one of the alley ways came a voice. "You are looking for Hiei? I know where he is, pretty little thing."

Jen turned towards the voice with a glare and stepped towards the voice. "Where-"

Malachai grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "He doesn't know anything. He's just trying to lure you. He's been following us for sometime to gather information. Come on," he said, his voice smooth as he urged her away.

Jen turned to leave, unsure if she really wanted to leave. She could handle herself well enough and what if he did know something? The voice from the alley slid through her mind. _If you want to know more about Hiei, meet me at the bar you are passing now on your left. I'll tell you where to find him. You might want to leave your friends out of this though. They don't seem to approve._

She felt the connection break with a shiver, but said nothing. She would wait for them to fall asleep before slipping out to meet the stranger who could tell her more about Hiei.

They entered the strange dwellings and Jen stared in awe. Their technical set up rivaled Amber's and the arsenal was huge. Minerva led them past the high tech gear and they entered an immaculate kitchen and sitting room.

The walls where a soft cream, matching the cream couches and counters. Dark stained cabinets and a table with chairs were a stark contrast. The carpet looked more plush than a bed and was a shade or two darker of a cream than the couches.

Beautiful paintings hung on the walls and a pool table with scarlet felt sat a few feet away from the couches. The electronics looked to be top of the line and all black, including a huge sound system and a television bigger than anything Jen had ever seen before.

Minerva laughed at Jen's awe-struck look. "You guys hungry?"

Bubba stretched as his stomach let out a loud rumble. Malachai smirked and nodded slightly as Minerva started pulling things out in the kitchen. Jen looked over to Kurama, who nodded slightly and moved to offer his assistance as Bubba and Malachai pushed Jen towards the pool table. "Come on, lass. Let's play a game of good ole billiards. I'll go easy on ya since it's yer first time," he said looking back and winking at her.

Malachai snorted. "You are too accustomed to playing with human females, Bubba. You go easy on this one, and she'll school you, even if it's her first time."

Bubba scoffed. "Naaah," he drawled. "I reckon I could at least take a first-timer on."

Malachai smirked. "You said that against Minerva, too."

Bubba held up his hand, pointing at Malachai. "Now that there don't count. Minnie cheated 'cause she's played before."

He grabbed the triangle rack off the wall, pulling all the brightly colored balls out and placing them in the rack. Malachai directed her attention to him as he handed her a pool cue. "The point of the game is simple. You have solids and stripes. Once you are designated as one or the other, by hitting it with the cue ball, that's the white one, and sinking one in any of the pockets, you sink all the balls of that type before you sink the black one. That's how you win. You can't hit your opponent's ball first and if you sink the eight-ball early, you lose. You also get penalized if you sink the cue ball in a pocket."

Jen nodded, a slight frown on her face as she let the rules sink in. After helping her with stance and how to hold the 'cue,' she hit the cue ball into the cluster, sending them bouncing all over the table. She sank a few 'solids' before she missed a shot and it was Bubba's turn.

They went back and forth like this for a couple games; Jen won the first, Bubba the second and they were on their third when Minerva and Kurama entered to announce food was ready. They set their cues on the wall and headed for the table, some kind of steak, potatoes and noodles on their plates. "Smells delicious, Minnie," Bubba said as he sat down in a chair that was way too small for him.

Watching him handle the fork and knife that looked tiny in his large tanned hands was nearly comical, but he seemed to be used to it. They sat down and began eating, and it was as delicious as it smelled. As they ate, they shared little stories of their travels.

Malachai and Minerva had been running together for nearly a hundred years and Bubba joined up with them about sixty years ago. They had actually planned to rob and kill Bubba when they first met, but his comical comments entertained them long enough to see what he was capable of.

From what they said, there was a lot more to Bubba. On the outside, he was a crazy, fun-loving, simple-minded man, who always has something funny to say; But during the time he is cracking jokes during a fight, Bubba was biding his time. He relaxes his opponent, thinking Bubba is just all brawn, no brain and doesn't take anything seriously, and then he almost effortlessly takes them out with a mix of stradegy and pure strength.

Jen was easily intrigued by this group of bandits. Malachai had eventually relaxed around Jen, she assumed once he realized that she didn't have a problem with them being bandits. She tilted her head to the side, remembering back to the conversation earlier in the street as she looked at Minerva. "How did you meet Nykairren?"

Minerva stretched as she stood up. "That is a story for another day, my dear. For now we need to get some rest. We'll start on looking for your fire demon bright and early tomorrow."

Bubba whined. "D'aww, come on, Minnie. Can't we sleep in just once?"

Minerva arched a brow. "I let you sleep in an extra two hours before I drag your lazy ass out of bed."

Bubba scoffed. "Six in the mornin' is still not sleepin' in, even if you crazy folk get up at four."

Minerva turned, walking away as she left. "Fine, since you aren't sleeping in anyway, I will just get you up when I wake up, hmm?"

Bubba's eyes widened holding up his hands. "No, no, that's fine. I'll pass. Six is right 'bout good 'nough for me. Night Minnie!"

Minerva just laughed as she disappeared into the hall, waving her hand over her shoulder. Malachai cleared his throat. "Since Min forgot to mention it, I'll show you to your rooms so you can settle in for the night. If you'll follow me," he said motioning to the hallway.

Jen nodded as she stood, bidding Bubba goodnight as he said something about continuing their game in the morning, but she was barely paying attention. Her mind was on meeting up with that demon in the alley.

They reached Kurama's room first, though it was still right next to Jen's. She bid her old friend goodnight before approaching her own door. She was stopped by Malachai's hand on her shoulder. His voice was low and barely audible. "I know you are planning on going after that slime ball that was in the alley. Take my word for it that he doesn't know anything and save yourself the trouble. I'll find your fire demon tonight and we'll go get him in the morning."

Before she even had a chance to respond, Malachai was gone. Jen sighed as she entered her room, closing the door behind her. She couldn't risk missing her chance at finding Hiei. What if Malachai couldn't find him? She didn't really know the Shadow Shifter well enough to be willing to rely on his abilities.

She laid down on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she waited for everyone to fall asleep. Besides, the worst that could happen is the demon didn't know anything and she would kill him if he tried to make a move. He wasn't that strong anyway. _That's the worst, right?_

* * *

Hiei was stretched out on his bed, getting ready to sleep for the night. He was a little put off that Leta hadn't returned from Aerisia yet, but he knew not to worry. The little ghost girl couldn't get hurt and physical walls couldn't hold her.

Though as he lay there, he felt strange to not have the little wolf's presence near him. He hadn't realized it until now how much Leta calmed his mind to help him sleep.

Hiei suddenly sat up, instantly alert with his hand on his sword as he saw a shadow shift in the corner of his room. Slowly a man stepped out from the shadows, the gaze of his mismatching gold and green eyes unsettling Hiei. The man had his hands up to show no weapons were in his hands, but Hiei remained ready for attack with his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

"Easy there, Killer. I'm just here to tell you that your Wolf Queen is about to get herself into a lot of trouble. You should probably go make sure she isn't raped and killed."

Hiei's eyes widened before narrowing back into a glare. "And how would you know this, Shifter," he sneered.

Malachai sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't know what she sees in you, Hybrid. Especially since you told her you don't give a damn about her. Either way, she's about to become fresh meat at a bar in the city just south of here because she thinks some scumbag knows where to find you. You should get ready now if you don't want to show up too late. Time is already running short, since you are such a pain in the ass to find."

Hiei growled at him, standing up from the bed when he heard Leta scream from the hall. "DESSI!"

She crashed into his chest hard, causing him to tumble back onto the bed with a grunt. Hiei looked up to see the demon hadn't moved, but amusement danced in his eyes with a single brow cocked. "Dessi! You have to come quick! Jen-Jen is in trouble," she said hurriedly as she tried to pull him up by his shirt.

Leta was distracted for a second by the demon standing in the corner before turning back to pull harder on Hiei's shirt. "Why are you still just laying around! Come on!"

Hiei growled. "Because you are still standing on my chest, little onna."

Leta squeeked and jumped up, mumbling an apology but Hiei wasn't paying attention anymore. Leta had confirmed what the shadow shifter had said. He quickly pulled on his cloak and strapped on his sword.

He moved to walk out the door when the demon cleared his throat. Hiei turned to him with an agitated glare. "It would be faster to travel with me through the shadows."

"Tch," was all Hiei said as he turned and left with Leta in the lead floating ahead of him. Like Hell he was going to trust a shadow shifter that just intruded into his room. Leta explained to Hiei that Jen and Kurama had come in contact with one of Sundrak's men and had decided to come looking for him to make sure he knew someone was after him. _Damn Fox. He couldn't even keep Jen safe for a day._

Hiei's glare narrowed as they continued to run towards the city Jen was at, feeling like the run was taking forever. _Maybe I should have taken the shifter's advice,_ he thought but pushed the idea out of his head. He wasn't going to put his and Jen's life in the hands of a stranger just because he was short on time. He was fully capable of making it on time on his own.

He glanced up at Leta he was keeping up with him as she flew through the air. "Find Kurama and tell him to get his ass to the bar."

Leta nodded as she peeled away from Hiei, flying in a seperate direction as Hiei locked on Jen's energy signature up ahead, pushing himself to run faster.

* * *

Jen sighed her millionth sigh as she pushed open the large door to the bar, the reak of demon brew and urine assailing her senses. Several demons at the bar turned towards her, wooping cat calls as she walked in further. A large demon cut her off and she glared up at him. "I'm looking for someone," she said, her voice low and threatening.

"Ah, so my little pretty decided to show after all," the familiar voice hissed. "I was beginning to lose hope. Grab her."

To large demons came up beside her, grabbing her arms and Jen struggled. She forced her energy out, pushing the demons back as three more began to approach. She fell into a defensive stance, flaring out her energy around her as if she was daring them to approach her.

Still, they tried, Jen swiftly dodging and punching first demon to reach her in the gut, forcing him back as another tried to grab her arm. She spun and kneed the second demon hard in the side, sending him to the ground as two more approached her at the same time.

So caught up in the fist fight, Jen hadn't noticed the small snake-like demon slip into the fight. A sharp pain stung her thigh, and she growled in pain, back-handing the demon that barely reached her shoulder in height. "You think a little blade is going to stop me?"

She threw her hand out to throw a blast at the demon but her energy sparked and cackled out. Her eyes widened as she stared at her hand, several demons snickering as they approached her. She resumed her fight, though she was feeling weaker by the second.

One demon finally landed hit on her, his fist making contact with her jaw as she flew back, her back hitting the ground with a hard thud. She tried to push herself up, but found she didn't have the energy. "No, my little pretty," the snake demon hissed as he approached her. "I don't think a little blade will stop you, but that dagger happens to have some very special qualities, including an energy drain."

The demons closed in on her and began pulling at her clothes but abruptly stopped as the snake demon spoke again. "I want first dibs on her," he hissed.

The demons stepped back impatiently, forming a tight circle around them so they would have a chance at second or third round with Jen. The snake demon bent down and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, tearing it off along with the cloak that covered her head. Jen shuddered as his eyes ran over her bared flesh, his gaze making her feel disgusting. He was about to reach for her bra when a black blur shot over her, standing over Jen's legs as he held the snake demon up by the front of his shirt with his back to her. "You don't deserve to touch her," he snarled and Jen's heart skipped a beat. _Hiei!_

Hiei had come to her rescue. How; She had no idea, but here he was, protecting her. Hiei punched the demon hard in his stomach, his fist surrounded by his black flame. The snake demon let out a pain-filled shriek before he turned to ash.

He turned, his eyes wild with rage as he snarled, releasing a blast of energy that obliterated the rest of the demons around them. Hiei did a final scan of the room before he knelt at her side. "You foolish woman," he growled, though his voice was nearly tender.

She tried to muster a smile at him, but she was too tired. His eyes flicked down to the dagger in her thigh before his eyes met hers again. "Close your eyes," he commanded.

Jen closed her eyes, a shiver of nervousness running through her._ This is going to hurt._ "Take a deep breath," he said and, again, she did as she was told.

Hiei swiftly pulled the blade out, causing Jen to grunt quietly in pain. She opened her eyes to see Hiei tearing a part of what was left of her cloak to tie it securely just above her thigh before pulling off his own cloak.

He carefully sat her up and pulled the cloak around her. Jen barely noticed how heavy it was because she was already so tired. Hiei slid the blade carefully into his boot and slid his arms under her. Her entire body felt light as Hiei picked her up.

Jen forced herself to focus on their surroundings. Several demons were now entering the bar, and they did not look happy. Jen saw a purple flare beside them as Minerva appeared. "So you are the troublesome fire demon that Jenista has been looking for. Hmm, I suppose you certainly look like you are worth the effort," she said, eyeing him with a seductive smile.

Jen growled weakly and Minerva looked down at her, her eyes softening. "Don't worry, Jen. I've my own men that I'm interested in. He's all yours. You focus on recovering."

Jen nodded slightly, her head resting against Hiei's shoulder as she saw Malachai slip out of the shadows. She heard Bubba's hollaring from outside as he pulled open the door, accidently pulling the door off its hinges due to the door needing to be pushed open. "Whoops," he said tossing the door behind him with ease as he stepped in. "It was an ugly door anyway."

Bubba looked at Jen, smiling happily. "Hey hey! Yer okay, wolf-lady! What'cha waitin' for? Git 'er out'a here."

Minerva nodded. "We'll take care of these grunts," she said turning as she shouted to Malachai. "Mal, get them to Kurama and the ghost so they can get to the hide out."

Malachai nodded as Bubba and Minerva engaged the massive group of demons. Malachai grabbbed Hiei's arm, causing Hiei to snarl and pull away. Jen lifted her hand to Hiei's cheek, his attention turning to her instantly. "Please, Hiei. We can trust them. I need healing."

Hiei growled, but didn't pull away when Malachai grabbed his arm again, pulling them into the shadows. Shortly after, they came out onto the street and she could hear her little sister's worried voice calling her name. Malachai said something to Kurama but couldn't make out what it was before he slipped back into the shadows and Jen slipped out of consciousness. The last thing she heard was Hiei's voice in her mind. _"Don't you dare die on me, onna.."_

* * *

_A/N~ Woohoo! Second one today! :D I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since like chapter five. xD Anyhow, Hiei's back, (Yayyy!) But for how long? :o_

_Read, review, favorite, follow, PM, stalk; Enjoy._

_Much love ~Jessa_


	20. Chapter 20

Jen woke slowly at first, but shot up when she didn't recognize her surroundings. With a stabbing pain in her temple, she remembered the bar last night. She must have been at Minerva's hide out.

Jen looked over to see Hiei sitting in the chair beside the bed, his body rigid and his eyes trained on her. She smiled softly at him, but he only continued to stare at her, his face set in a slight scowl. Her smile fell as she frowned at him. "Hiei?"

"Hn," he said, standing and heading for the door without a word.

"Hiei, wait," she said quietly.

Hiei paused at the door but didn't turn to face her. "Go back to sleep, onna," he said, seeming to force his tone to be emotionless.

Jen huffed. "Don't tell me you are going to try to keep up this 'I don't care about you' act."

She stood and walked towards him as he turned around, surprise dancing in his eyes before turning back to a scowl. "I don't."

She scoffed as she reached him, standing so close to him that her body brushed against his every time either of them took a breath. "Really," she said with a brow arched, her lips playing dangerously close to his. "Then why are you still here?"

He was silent and Jen took the opportunity to continue. "You don't like people touching you, so why haven't you pushed me away, Hiei? Hm?"

Hiei side stepped and walked past her, sitting down in the chair and resting his elbows on his knees, Jen following close behind. She sat down carefully in front of him on her knees. "I am incapable of feeling like that," he said shortly, his eyes trained at the wall behind her.

Jen leaned forward, putting her hands on either side of his legs. "Yeah, you have mentioned that. You are also a terrible liar."

His eyes shot to hers in a look of surprise and she sighed. "I didn't really notice it back when you left, and was even afraid it had just been my imagination, but you really are a bad liar."

Hiei frowned slightly. "I-"

Jen cut him off. "You leveled an entire room full of demons because no one would confess to stabbing me," she looked up at him with a small smile. "If that isn't a show affection, I don't know what is."

Hiei sighed as he leaned back in the chair. Jen raised herself up a little and sighed as well. "Look, I get it, Hiei. For whatever reason you had to leave, and you had to make sure I didn't follow you," she sighed as she looked down biting her lip. "Despite what the society says-"

Hiei frowned. "What does the society say," he asked suddenly.

Jen looked up at him before looking back down. "They say you are an unreliable choice for leader because you left without giving any reason," Jen shook her head. "But I trust your judgement and reasoning enough to know it was for a good reason."

With a slightly pained look, she still refused to look at him. "I even understand that you may have to leave again after this to finish taking care of what you need to take care of."

Finally she raised her eyes to his, determination set on her face. "But please, don't lie to me, Hiei," she pleaded quietly.

His eyes softened to the slightest degree and Jen smiled softly, leaning forward to wrap her arms around his neck. Though he said nothing, Hiei crushed her to him in a tight hug, pulling her up into his lap. Jen revelled in his warmth, feeling as if her very being was coming back together like a puzzle. "I do care," he said shortly and barely audible to the point Jen almost thought she imagined it.

She pulled back to look into his eyes as he avoided her gaze, a slight pink on his cheeks. She raised her hand to his chin, urging him to look at her. When he did, she smiled. "I know, Hiei," she said, leaning forward to nuzzle his cheek gently. A soft purr emitted from Hiei's throat and her smile widened, missing that sound of contentment from him.

Jen moved her lips to his, kissing him tenderly. The kiss quickly turned into a heated one as Hiei's hand slid into the back of her hair, pulling her as close to him as he could manage without hurting her. Jen couldn't think straight as his tongue probed her lower lip. She had missed this terribly; Missed _him._ As her hands roamed over his chest, he growled quietly against her lips, his hand sliding up to knead her breast.

With a groan, Jen pulled back to rest her forehead against his. His hand slid away from her breast to rest on her back as she moved to sit sideways in his lap, resting the side of her head against his shoulder. "Tell me what happened, Hiei," she said quietly.

"I had a premonition about an old enemy. I needed to leave and take care of him."

Gods, only Hiei could find such a short explanation for something so big. "Sundrak?" Hiei nodded silently in response before she continued. "Do you need to leave again to take care of him?"

Hiei nodded again and Jen's heart constricted. "Malachai pin-pointed his location. I leave tonight to finish him."

Jen nodded. "I know I can't go with you, because I'd do more harm than good by being there, but please at least consider letting someone like Kurama go with you. I know you are capable on your own, but a little back up never hurt. It would make me feel better."

"Hn."

Jen smiled. "Thank you, Hiei."

"I didn't say I was going to."

She laughed a little. "No, but you would have had no problem telling me that you wouldn't if that was the case. That means that you are at least considering it, and I appreciate it."

Hiei said nothing as his hand idly stroked her hair. Jen doubted he even noticed what he was doing, but she didn't mention it. She was enjoying this moment too much to risk ruining it by pointing something like that out.

"All I ask of you, Hiei, is that you come home to me in one piece," she said quietly, cuddling closer to his body.

She didn't even want to think about him getting hurt, or worse. "You have my word, onna," he said quietly.

Jen nodded as she moved her head to press her lips to his neck. "When do you leave?"

"Soon. I just made contact with Kurama to prepare. Sundrak is not far from here. We will be back before morning."

Jen's stomach suddenly felt uneasy, but she sighed and pushed it away. There was no way she could ask him to not go. She doubted he would listen even if she did. All it would do is piss him off and leave her feeling hurt and upset. She continued to push her lips against his neck, trailing little kisses over the tendon.

Hiei silently leaned his head to the side, granting her more access as she trailed her tongue up his throat. His hand was still stroking her hair as she nuzzled his neck before raising her head to look up at him.

His eyes had softened and a peaceful air returned around him. A ghost of a smile danced on his lips as he stared into her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her softly, before relaxing back into the chair with his eyes closed. Jen lowered her head back to his shoulder and they stayed like that for a long time, enjoying each other's presence in silence.

"It is time," Hiei said quietly, after a while.

Jen nodded and stood from his lap, watching as he pulled on his cloak and sword. When he was finished, he stood there for a minute just staring at her. Jen walked forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso as his arms closed around her shoulders. He lowered his head to her hair, inhaling deeply and she felt his body relax slightly.

"Come home," she said quietly before pulling back and looking up at him. "And make sure we don't ever have to deal with this guy again."

"Hn," he said smirking.

Hiei released her after kissing her tenderly before they both headed for the bedroom door. Down in the sitting area, Minerva, Malachai, Kurama, Bubba and Leta were all waiting. With a sigh, Jen approached Kurama, hugging him shortly. "Be careful, Fox-brother," she said quietly and Kurama nodded, offering a reassuring smile.

"We will be back soon, Jenna."

She nodded before chewing on her lip slightly as she looked at Hiei. He rolled his eyes and walked towards her, taking her by surprise when he kissed her, pulling back as he rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "I will return, onna."

She nodded with a smile. "I know you will, Hiei."

He dropped his hand from her cheek, both of them turning to leave, a single tear falling down Jen's cheek as she worried for her old friend and her fire demon. Deep down, she knew they would be okay, but it was still Hell on her nerves.

Minerva placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, dear. Let's make some tea. I have a feeling we will be staying up until they get back."

Jen smiled at her, suddenly thankful for the group that was there. She knew she would be going crazy if she had to go through this by herself. Leta floated into the kitchen behind them, her eyes on the ground and her hands behind her back as she chewed on her lip.

Jen frowned slightly. "What's the matter, little love?"

Leta looked up at her with tear-filled eyes before she threw her arms around Jen's neck. "I'm sorry I didn't come see you, sissy. Hiei-dessi just made me promise not to tell you what was going on and I didn't want to mess up and tell you," she said with her words flying out so fast, Jen barely understood them.

Jen smiled and wrapped her arms around her sister. "I understand, little love. It's okay."

Leta looked up at her and smiled before nuzzling her in a tight hug. "Hiei-dessi has been so good to me, sissy. He even sang my lullaby for me when I had a nightmare!"

Jen's eyebrows shot up before Leta pulled back, tilting her head. "Well, more like hummed it, but he has such a soothing voice, Jen-Jen! It's almost as good as Salvatore's!"

Jen laughed quietly, shaking her head. She found it hard to believe that Hiei would even consider humming. He had looked at her incredulously when she had sung for Leta, not even understanding what singing was at the time.

Malachai and Bubba entered the kitchen after a few minutes, sitting at the table with cards. Minerva set out four mugs, glancing at Leta in curiousity. "Can ghosts eat and drink?"

Leta shook her head sadly and Minerva nodded slightly, carefully pouring the hot tea into each mug. She stirred in some honey and then handed one to Jen before grabbing the other three and setting them on the table as she took her seat.

Jen sat down quietly, watching curiously as Malachai shuffled. He glanced up at her. "Do you want us to deal you in?"

Jen shook her head. "I don't know how to play and I don't think I would be able to focus on learning right now," she said smiling weakly. "Maybe next time."

Malachai nodded before dealing to himself, Minerva and Bubba. Jen barely paid attention to their idle chatter and game. Jen pulled her legs up in the chair, holding her mug of tea in both hands as she sipped it silently.

Leta floated over to Jen and sat on her shoulder, playing with her hair. The small movements of her hands in her hair calmed Jen to a degree as she thought about everything. She hadn't even been this worried when her father and brother went to war. She could barely explain the pain in her chest; The way she knew her heart wouldn't slow down until Hiei was there with her and safe.

She sighed as she leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. What exactly was this feeling? How could she feel warmed whenever she thought about him, but so uneasy and cold at the same time? She knew she cared for Hiei, but could it be more?

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. It's why she couldn't even be mad at him for causing her so much pain when he left. She had been too happy to see him and to know he was okay to even remember that she had intended to yell at him for leaving the way he did. She sighed at the realization. She loved Hiei.

Jen doubted Hiei would even take to it very well, and she knew for a fact he wouldn't say it back. She was pretty sure he didn't even love her. No, she couldn't tell Hiei of this realization. She didn't think he would handle it very well.

She wasn't sure if her realization warmed her more or scared her more. All she knew is it brought her comfort and fear all at once. Comfort from knowing she had a love to call her own and fear from knowing she could never tell him. Would she really be able to keep it from him? Gods, she hoped so, unless she wanted him to leave her for being so ridiculous.

Several hours later, the door crashed open and Jen jumped to her feet. Her vision blurred as she saw Kurama limp in with Hiei draped over his shoulders. He dropped to one knee once he got in and Minvera and Bubba rushed to them.

Bubba took Hiei from Kurama laying him down on his back on the couch. Jen bit back a whimper as she ran over to the couch falling to her knees. "What happened? I can't even sense him! Is he alive?"

Kurama groaned as Minerva helped him over to the seat beside the couch and began to inspect his wounds. "He's alive, but it's like he has no demon energy at all, and I can't heal his wound," he said.

Jen's eyes widened. "How is that possible," she asked, pulling off Hiei's cloak and shirt. A large gash was on his left shoulder, stretching just past his collar bone. The flesh was torn and burnt, which didn't make sense. "How did he get burned? Hiei doesn't burn, even from the hottest energy," she said frantically.

Koenma and Selene appeared in the corner of the room, causing Malachai to snarl and step towards them. "It's okay," Jen said quickly. "They're here to help."

Malachai eyed the prince silently before sitting back down. Selene knelt beside Jen, putting her hand over Hiei's wound. The soft glow of her healing powers illuminated the area, but when it faded, the wound was still in place. "He's been hit with a God-bolt," Selene said quietly.

Jen's eyes widened. "What?" Her voice was nearly an entire octave higher. "Why does a Delphyr have the ability to wield God-bolts, Koenma," she snarled as she glared over her shoulder at him.

Koenma looked at the ground but before he could answer a huge explosion rocked the hide out. "We're under attack," Minerva shouted, jumping up to tear open a panel of the far wall and pulling out a small hand-held computer.

She was typing on it for a few seconds before a screen came up of the layout of the hide out. There were several squares flashing red and Minerva growled. "We need to get out of here."

Jen nodded. "How fast can we make it to Aerisia?"

Malachai smirked. "If we travel by shadow, a few minutes tops."

Jen looked over to Minerva. Minerva nodded with a sigh. "Let's go. Phasing will be even faster. Everyone grab everyone else."

Jen wrapped an arm around Hiei and reached out to lay her hand on Kurama's forearm. Malachai rested a hand on Jen's shoulder and the other on Minerva's shoulder. Bubba grabbed Minerva's other shoulder as Leta sat on Bubba's shoulder. He reached out his hand to Koenma and Selene who both touched his arm.

Minerva checked everyone before nodding and closing her eyes. With a purple flash, their surroundings changed in an instant to Aerisia's palace, Salvatore and Vaislen jumping up into a defensive stance.

They relaxed as soon as they saw Jen. "Jen, what happened?"

"Hiei's been hit by a God-bolt."

The color drained from Salvatore's face. Blythe stepped forward and kneeled down to inspect his wound. "This is from Sundrak," she said with a dire tone.

Salvatore's eyes widened. "You mean the Delphyr that has been torturing and killing Venatores?"

Blythe nodded. "We need to get his wound dressed. He'll be about as strong as a human with no spirit energy until we can get his demon essence returned to him, which means he won't heal at his usual pace."

Jen stared down at Hiei numbly. She couldn't believe this was happening. Hiei was powerless, unconscious and currently bleeding all over the place. She didn't exactly understand the details of a God-bolt. All she knew was that it was an unhealable wound and it zapped demon energy right out. Would Hiei ever get his demon energy back? How long would it take for the wound to heal on its own?

She knew he was going to be furious when he woke. Hiei loathed humans, and now he would be on the same level as them. Kuwabara would even be stronger than him. Jen touched his forehead, brushing away a piece of hair. _I swear to you, Hiei, I will find a way to return your energy._

* * *

_A/N~ Awe! Fluffies :3_

_On a quick side note, because I said I would mention it, the idea of Hiei being "Undemonified" came from InuChimera7410's story called "Our Days Together." It is a fairly different concept but I didn't really think of draining Hiei of his demon energy until I read her story. It is a phenomenal story, and she's done a fantastic job of keeping everyone in character. She usually updates every Wednesday, so it's great! Check her out :)_

_Also, next chapter is going to be a lemon. Here's how I am going to do it with all the restrictions and anyone who doesn't want to read the scene. Here, I'm going to post a clean chapter, glancing over the lemon, and I'll be posting this story on Fanworks dot org with the explicit scenes in tact. :D I'll post a direct link to chapter 21 over there at the beginning of the chapter here so you can choose which one to read. The only thing you will miss over here is the sex scene itself._

_Also, special thanks to my boyfriend, Graham, who helped with the editing process for this chapter :) Thanks, babe._

_Read, review, PM, Favorite, Follow, Stalk; Enjoy. :)_

_Much love ~Jessa_


	21. Chapter 21

Jen sighed quietly as she stared down at Hiei. It had been three days and he still hadn't regained consciousness. She carefully pulled off the bandages that wrapped around his shoulder and chest. She gently cleaned the wound with a cloth and warm water, noticing it was looking a lot better than it had before. The burnt flesh had turned a light pink and the gash was slowly beginning to shrink in size.

It would still be a good week or two before he was completely healed, but Kurama's plant knowledge had served very useful while her fire demon was unable to heal quickly on his own. Kurama entered the room silently, handing her the small bowl of paste he had made. His eyes flicked to the gash in Hiei's shoulder, regret alight in his eyes. "This isn't your fault, Fox-brother," Jen said quietly.

Kurama seemed to shake himself out of a deep thought he had been in before his eyes flicked back to her, a small smile gracing his lips. His eyes still held a glimmer of regret, but she knew better than to think Kurama would forgive himself for letting Hiei get hurt. Being a master strategist meant Kurama felt he would be able to avoid things like this happening.

Kurama nodded silently before turning to leave. He had been incredibly quiet ever since he and Hiei had returned from their mission. Jen sighed quietly before she pushed it out of her mind. She applied the paste to Hiei's wound and then sat him up carefully to wrap fresh bandages around his shoulder and chest.

When she finished and started to put him back on the bed, she was startled to find he wouldn't lie back down. She looked up at him to see his crimson eyes staring down at her. His eyes were sharp and alert but she could tell his confusion was mounting quickly. "Why can't I sense anything," he growled quietly.

Jen blew out a slow sigh. "You were hit by a godbolt. It zapped your energy and won't return until we can find where Sundrak stores the energy he steals and eliminate it.'

His eyes widened before narrowing into a glare. "That is not possible."

Jen sighed as he held his hand out to attempt to summon his energy. Nothing happened, as she suspected, and Hiei's frustration mounted. Jen lightly laid her hand on his forearm. "Hiei," she started but he never let her finish.

With a snarl, he shoved her away, causing her to fall off the side of the bed onto the ground. She barely rolled into a crouch and stared up at him carefully. This was going to be very difficult. He swung his arm out at her as she stood and moved towards the bed. "Don't touch me!"

This was quickly followed by a hiss of pain and Jen saw blood start to seep through the bandages. With a slight flinch, Jen sat back down on the edge of the bed as Hiei glared away from her and at the bed. Opting to say nothing on the subject, she just sat by him silently, knowing he would speak when he was ready.

"He wasn't supposed to have that kind of power," he said quietly.

Jen nodded slightly. "Blythe said he has been something of a leader for the delphyr and that he has been torturing and killing venatore for the last four or five years. They have been unable to trace him."

Hiei blew out a long sigh as he laid back against the headboard. "Something has changed with Sundrak. I should have killed him ten years ago when I had his throat under my sword. He was too pathetic at the time to even dirty my sword. I was too arrogant to think he would ever amount to anything more than a nuisance."

Jen nodded a little, resting her hand on his thigh. When he didn't push her away she relaxed and leaned against the headboard next to him. "We'll get him," she said quietly.

Hiei nodded but said nothing as he sighed. Jen began to idly stroke his thigh, not noticing her touch had moved further up his thigh. "Onna," he said carefully. "If you keep doing that, you are going to have to bandage my shoulder again."

Jen looked up at him curiously to see a slight smirk playing on his lips, before she glanced down and noticed her hand was very close to a certain appendage of Hiei's. Her throat went dry before she swallowed and looked up at him with her own smirk. "That just means we'll need to be more careful."

Hiei's eyes widened in surprise before he closed them and shook his head, his smirk still in place. Jen continued her small circles of strokes on his thigh. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said when we were at the lake," she started. Hiei cracked an eye open to watch her curiously, though remained silent. "I've decided that I do want you to take me."

* * *

Hiei nearly choked on his sharp inhale as her words sunk in. She wanted him to take her? Hiei shook his head. "I don't understand why."

Jen frowned at him. "Hiei, you know why. There is a reason I didn't give up hope and move on when you left and I didn't hear from you for over four months."

Hiei looked down at her face and into her golden eyes. He cupped her cheek lightly and kissed her, an array of implacable emotions running through him. Though he wouldn't actually admit it, he had missed Jen while he was after Sundrak. Her lips moved against his in an effortless dance, and he lost all ability to think as her lips parted, granting him access to her mouth.

_You do not deserve this._ A single thought shattered the moment. He knew it was true. Jen deserved someone much better than him. His life before he found his sister flashed before his eyes. He was a felon; A hybrid bandit who lived on the streets, and even plotted to take over human world at one point. He didn't deserve a queen as a mate.

With a sigh, he pulled away. Jen looked up at him questioningly as he got up from the bed, facing away from her. "Go find a different mate; One more suitable."

Jen huffed and got up from the bed. "I don't want a different mate. The only one suitable for me is you. Don't you get that?"

Hiei refused to face her, even as she approached him. "I do not understand why," he said.

In his eyes, Hiei felt unworthy of something of this caliber. What Jen was offering him should go to someone better than he was; Someone of royal birth. Jen growled as she grabbed his arm. "Because, damn it, Hiei, I love you."

They both froze as soon as the words left her mouth. _Love? Me?_ _Does she really mean it?_ No one had ever said those words to him. Even Mukuro knew she didn't have the capacity to truly love him. It was too much for his mind to comprehend. Between his desire for her and his inability to comprehend her emotions, it was nearly too much to bear. With a growl, he spun and pinned her against the wall.

He quickly decided that pinning her against the wall with his body was a bad idea as a hot spike of desire shot through him, but there was no turning back now. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to focus. "That is not possible," he forced out.

Jen's eyes softened as she reached up and gently stroked his cheek. "It is Hiei, and believe it or not, it is true. You have been through a lot. Let me love you tonight."

He growled as he pushed away from her. That was about as much as he could handle. "I don't need your pity," he spat, turning away from her once again.

Jen sighed quietly as she laid a hand against his shoulder blade. "It isn't pity, Hiei. I have never pitied you. You know that."

Her hand seemed to radiate heat through him. Deep down, he wanted so badly to give in; To bury everything he had been through and find peace with her. "You deserve this, Hiei. Let me love you, even if it is just for tonight."

Something that was holding him back finally snapped as Jen's other hand laced with his. He couldn't think straight as she turned him towards her. He reached up, resting his hand along her jaw line. "If we do this, it will be for more than just tonight."

Her eyes widened for a moment before warmth glowed in her eyes and she nodded. Shortly after that, everything in his mind went blank as his lips crashed into hers. The kiss was uninhibited and desperate. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as his tongue brushed against her lower lip. He explored her entire mouth, committing every detail to memory as his hand slid up to cup her breast.

Hiei pushed her back towards the bed, pulling her shirt off before pushing her onto the bed. She shivered slightly from the cool air but he covered her body with his own quickly. A twinge of pain shot through his shoulder, but he quickly adjusted, making a mental note to not put his weight on that arm. He lowered his lips to hers once again, tracing her lips with his tongue.

Then, her world spiraled out of control as Hiei spent hours tasting and exploring her body before finally taking her, both of them losing themselves in passion and desire.

Jen felt his muscles ripple and shudder under her hands as he collapsed on top of her. Both laid there in silence, trying to catch their breath. Hiei lifted himself up on his elbow, pushing a piece of hair away from her forehead. "You didn't have to do that for me, you know," he said quietly.

Jen smiled softly. "I know, but I wanted to. I wanted to give you something no one had ever given you before; Something that was uniquely yours."

"Hn. A 'thank you' card would have sufficed."

Jen frowned. "A what?"

"No one has ever given me a thank you card before either. It would have accomplished the same thing."

Jen smirked. "Maybe, but do you really think it would have been this much fun?"

Hiei returned the smirk and kissed her before he rolled off of her, sprawling onto his back with a deep, contented sigh. Jen curled up into his side and rested her head on his uninjured shoulder. His arm wrapped around her shoulders as she draped her arm over his stomach and her leg over his. Slowly, they both drifted off into sleep.

Jen awoke to a light knocking on the door. She yawned as Hiei pulled the sheet over them. "Enter," she mumbled once they were both covered.

Salvatore nudged the door open. "Well I see you are definitely feeling better, Hiei," he said, amusement shining in his eyes.

Hiei and Jen both blushed before Jen spoke up. "Is there a reason you are here, brother?"

Salvatore nodded. "We are drawing out plans to go after Sundrak."

Jen nodded. "We will be out in a minute."

Salvatore nodded and closed the door, leaving them to get dressed. They dressed in silence, and Jen assumed Hiei was thinking the same things she was thinking. They were going to try to exclude Hiei from going after Sundrak. As much as Jen wanted Hiei to stay safe, she knew that wasn't going to happen. Besides, she was his mate now. They may not have been bound, but she was still his. She needed to stand by him and support his decisions, even if it put him directly in the line of danger when he had no demon energy.

She sighed as she finished dressing and looked up to see him grabbing a shirt out of his closet, pulling it over his head carefully. They locked eyes and he frowned slightly. "Not being able to read your mind right now is annoying."

Jen smiled slightly as she walked towards him, lacing her fingers with his. He looked down at their hands curiously, lifting her hand as he held it in his palm. "Welcome to my world," she mumbled quietly. "I never get to read your mind."

He smirked slightly. "I'm thinking about how fragile your hand is."

Jen arched a brow. "I am surprised you actually responded. To be honest, I've been thinking about the fact that I am yours officially now. How I always thought I would have been bothered by the concept of belonging to someone and yet, I am not bothered by it with you."

Hiei nodded slightly before jerking his head toward the door. "We should get going before they get any stupid ideas."

Jen nodded and followed him out of the room and to the main meeting hall. The main leaders of each group were there. Ace and his daughter Lilith from the cat demons, her pack of wolves, Salvatore, Stenton and Blythe from the venatore, Nykairren and Selene from Pontifex Mortis, Minerva, Malachai and Bubba were still there and even Koenma was seated at the table, with a woman beside him. Her eyes were bright and pink, matching her equally bright demeanor and her hair was tied back in a pony tail. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Genkai were also present.

Blythe nodded and sighed. "So, here is what we have. Between Selene and Malachai, we have been able to track Sundrak. He is currently hiding out in his headquarters, which is in the Northwest. A team of us will head out shortly to find him. We believe his source that he stores the stolen energy in is in this hide out as well."

Hiei stood. "We need to move quickly. Sundrak is always moving."

Blythe nodded. "All due respect, but I think it would be best if you stayed here, Hiei."

Hiei snarled. "Like you can stop me."

Blythe arched a brow. "Right now, I can."

Hiei growled again and Jen cleared her throat, pulling their attention to her. "I think Hiei should go."

An uproar started, but Jen held up her hand, silencing them. "This is his fight. Sundrak is after him. He may be drained of demon energy, but he is far from incapable. He is still an expert swordsman. I suggest a group, including Hiei, go. One section will be focused on finding the source of Sundrak's stolen power, while the other focuses on finding Sundrak himself and keeping him busy. I will not negotiate on Hiei coming with us."

Blythe nodded slightly and sighed. "Alright. Then Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, you, Hiei and myself will go. Malachai, Minerva, Bubba; I would like you three to be ready to move in case we need back up."

Everyone nodded and stood to depart. "We will leave in an hour. With any luck, we will be back in time to start the plans for the winter festival," Jen said, with a sigh, realizing she had a lot on her plate.

Not to mention the wolf demons would be able to smell that she was no longer pure and that Hiei had claimed her, which meant holding out hope that she would "come to her senses and find a prince to mate with" was out the window; With a big, thundering crash.

With a sigh, she headed for her room to shower, startled when she found Hiei following behind her, stopping her from closing the bathroom door. "Hiei," she started but he cut her off.

"Don't start, Onna. We have little time and we both need to shower," he said, though his smirk let on to his ulterior motives.

Jen scoffed but said nothing as she bent down to turn on the water. "I'm going to go grab our clothes. Feel free to adjust the temp and get in."

Hiei said nothing as she pushed past him to grab clean clothes for both of them out of the closet. When she reentered the bathroom, Hiei had already discarded his clothes on the ground.

Jen glanced around the bathroom as she closed the door and pulled off her clothes. _There's quite a bit of steam in here.._

Jen shrugged it off and pulled open the door, stepping into the water, immediately retracting her leg with a yelp. "HIEI! ARE YOU CRAZY?! THAT IS HOT ENOUGH TO BURN MY SKIN OFF!"

He stared at her wide-eyed before turning away from her with a smirk. He backed into the hot water, letting it crash over his shoulders. "Hn. You told me to adjust the temperature." She watched as the water cascaded down his body and, wait- What did he just say?

She glared at him, reaching for the temperature gauge and turned it all the way over to the cold. Hiei let out a hiss as the cold water hit his shoulders and he cut a glare over at her. She crossed her arms and smirked in triumph as he growled at her.

Without warning an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into the shower. She screamed as she struggled against his hold to get away. "What's the matter, Onna," he mocked. "You wanted this temperature."

The cold water crashed down on her body, causing her to thrash around more. Hiei lost his balance on the slippery shower floor and they both tumbled to the ground. With a grunt, he hit the ground hard on his back, with Jen crashing down on top of him and the water pelting her in the back of the head.

She dropped her head in relief that neither of them were hurt too badly, only to hear Hiei sputter and growl under her. She lifted her head back up to find that her head had blocked the water from his face, and when she moved her head out of the way, the water had hit him square in the face.

"Sorry," she mumbled biting back a laugh as Hiei glared up at her, water dripping from his face.

With a small nervous laugh, she got up, careful to continue to shield Hiei's face from more water as she reached back and turned the water to a safe medium. He got up and lifted her chin to kiss her, his hand running down her wet arm. "You will pay for that tonight."

A shiver of excitement ran over her, but knowing Hiei, she would have to endure torture before he finally gave her what she wanted. _Bring it on._

* * *

_A/N~ Yayyy~...Okay, so for those of you who want the uncut version, the link is on my profile, just go down to chapter 21 and poof~! Nomminess :)_

_Read, Review, PM, Favorite, Follow, Stalk; Enjoy._

_Much love ~Jessa_


End file.
